Valediction
by 50caliberchaos
Summary: Short Story. The war with Akatsuki and Orochimaru took a toll on everyone, but none were so impacted by the horrendous and traumatic actions committed in the years of struggle as Uzumaki Naruto. Naru/Tayu, rated for violence, sexual content, and language
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One – Post Traumatic Stress

The room stank. That much seemed irrefutable. Also irrefutable was the fact that it was both very dark, and numbingly cold… the room that is. The three facts together were not what Uzumaki Naruto was focused on however, not while he was sitting in a frigid metal chair with his hands tied, or more accurately, cuffed, behind his back. He dared not try to get himself free, not with how tightly the cuffs cut into his hands. It also occurred to him as he breathed out that there was a bag over his face and his stomach hurt, like he'd fallen against a blunted edge with the full weight of his body.

"Where the hell am I?" muttered the blond, his head hurting almost as badly as his stomach. "Why can't I remember … anything?" Naruto sat up straighter in the chair. He had been slouching. "Where am I?" he repeated, a little louder.

He heard something, the sound of a well oiled door swinging open on its hinges, and a single set of footsteps coming towards him. _Five steps_, Naruto counted, reflexively noting the number. _Must be a medium-sized room, concrete floors given the sound, and whoever this is, he's wearing hard-soled shoes._

"You're here," said the man on the opposite side of the bag, stopping a few paces short of Naruto, "because you made a bad decision." The man's voice was deep, but not particularly strong. He sounded old without being quite decrepit yet. Naruto guessed his visitor must have been in his late sixties.

"I don't think this is really necessary," said the voice, lifting the bag from Naruto's face.

Immediately the young blond saw his surroundings consisted of a dingy and poorly lit little room made of brick the color of rust and lighted by a single bulb dangling above the steel chair in which he sat. Before Naruto was a table the same color as his chair, and opposite him was another chair, empty. Beside the Uzumaki stood a tall man, dressed in khaki pants, a white button-down, and a long white coat made of thin cotton.

The man turned away before Naruto could get a good look at his face, and threw the canvas bag onto the table. He then ran a hand through his thinning white hair, walked around the table, pulled at the metal chair, and sat down opposite the silent Naruto, folding his hands in front of him on the table.

"Can you tell me what you're name is?" said the old man, his tone not harsh, but wary.

"Why should I?" responded Naruto bitingly without thinking. "You've got me caged in a room and had a bag over my head. I'm not going to tell you shit, old fart."

The man in the coat didn't respond for a moment. He studied the blond boy in his mid teens for a moment before exhaling and moving his hands up to rest beneath his jaw. "Can you tell me how you got here?"

Naruto opened his mouth to sling a sarcastic remark at his supposed captor, but didn't answer immediately. It suddenly occurred to him that he couldn't remember how he got there.

"Can you remember my name?" asked the old man.

"Tatonetti," said Naruto by reflex.

As the man in the coat smiled, the gesture seeming as though it should have made his weathered face creak, Naruto looked down at the table. He couldn't remember why he knew the old man's name. He knew him, but nothing about him, or almost nothing.

"You're some kind of doctor," Naruto probed, causing Tatonetti to raise one eyebrow. "That's all I can recall."

"Better than yesterday," said the doctor, watching Naruto very carefully. "Much better than this morning certainly. Can you tell me how long you've been here, at this facility? Has it been a day, a week, a year?"

A chill ran down Naruto's back and he sat up perfectly straight, suddenly very impatient with the man in front of him who began to look more and more like a fossil every second, even though this exchange felt somehow routine. "Why should I tell you?" Naruto demanded. A thought leapt to the thought of Naruto's mind. "The mission to Sound," he blurted, "what happened? It went bad, right? Sakura and Shikamaru, we-" Naruto cut himself off and as the doctor sat back in his chair and rested one hand over his face. For the briefest moment Naruto thought he saw something squirm in the man's vest pocket.

"I remember now," said Naruto. His tone was quiet, but bubbled with anger underneath. "Sakura, Shikamaru, and I were on a mission to Orochimaru's palace. We were going after Sasuke, but things went bad. Orochimaru beat us in a fight and then…" he paused. "Then I woke up here, under that bag. Then you came in and started talking at me. Who are you?! Where am I!?"

"Well we **were** doing well," said the doctor with a sigh.

"Oh," Naruto growled like a caged animal. "I get it now. I never got away from Sound. This is an interrogation room. You're working for Orochimaru!" he shouted. "Don't think you're going to get anything out of me! I won't help you! You're never going to beat Konoha, never!"

Dr. Tatonetti raised his right arm and looked at the watch on his wrist. As Naruto stared at him from across the table the man withdrew from his coat a small pad of paper and a pen. He began scribbling on it for a moment, then set it down on the table and turned it to Naruto.

"What's this?" asked the blond spitefully. _If I try to use chakra then there's no doubt guards will rush in… I need to lay low for just a bit and wait for a good shot at this._

"You haven't been acting yourself these past several days," said the doctor. "You've been quieter and you've been brooding more. Tell me," he drew Naruto's attention back to the pad with a tap of his finger. "What do these names mean to you?"

Naruto looked down, humoring him, and looked over the scribbling on the pad. _Haruno Sakura_, he read, feeling his stomach tighten just a bit, _Uchiha Sasuke, Nagusami Tayuya…_ Naruto bit his lip, unsure of what the sudden throbbing in his chest meant. "Who are these people?" he asked, trying to give nothing away.

"Didn't you just mention Shikamaru and Sakura?" asked the doctor.

Naruto swallowed once. "Two of my friends from a long time ago," he said quickly, trying to cover up his mistake.

"Again with the lies," said the old man, breathing heavily. He reached into his vest pocket and began to fish around for something. "Naruto I don't see why you can't just be honest with me. I would have thought you'd be tired of this by now." He pulled his hand from the pocket with a hiss. From between his thumb and index finger a snake hissed at Naruto and opened its jaws wide at him, threatening to leap and bite.

Naruto suddenly went cold and pushed himself back in his chair. The snake glared at him and Naruto felt the gaze as his blood snap-froze in his veins. "Get that thing away from me?" Naruto growled in warning, feeling his temples throb.

"What," asked the doctor, surprise pervading his tone. Even as the snake wrapped around his wrinkled wrist, still hissing and watching Naruto hungrily, the old man examined his hand as though there was nothing wrong, as though there were not a deadly serpent in his grasp. "Get what away from you?"

"I said take it away," Naruto hissed through clenched teeth.

"What?" asked the doctor again, watching Naruto watch his hand. "Do you mean the pencil?" queried the doctor, leaning forward just a bit more and offering his hand to Naruto.

"I said **away**!" Naruto spat, his mind thrumming with horror.

"It's just a pencil," Dr. Tatonetti insisted. "What's so frightening about this?"

In his near-hysteria Naruto imagined the snake was reaching out to bite him, and even thought he saw smile spread across the old man's lined and angular face. "No," Naruto cried out as the snake's fangs folded down from the roof of its mouth. "Get that thing away from me you son of a bitch!"

_Chakra!_ Naruto's mind shrieked as the old man ignored his complaints and brought the snake even closer to him, easily within striking distance of his face. _Where the fuck is my chakra?_ Naruto's heart raced even faster as he fumbled for the energy to break his bonds and fight his way free, but the life giving chakra simply wasn't there.

"What have you done to me!" Naruto demanded. "Where is my-" Naruto stopped and stared at the old man. A patch of Tatonetti's skin just below his left eye had begun to turn a sickly green and wither.

"What?" asked the doctor, sitting up and touching his face with his free hand. "Is there something wrong.

Naruto watched in shock as the dead patch of skin slipped from Tatonetti's face and slopped down onto the table, all as the doctor failed to notice that anything was wrong. Beneath the missing chunk of flesh was the doctor's cheek bone, bleached as white as alabaster, but quickly turning red as a trickle of blood eked from the exposed tissue all around it.

"What is the matter Naruto?" asked the doctor, even as the skin all around the gouge began to wither and shift in hue to the same color as the sickly lob laying on the table.

Before he could even think to try and free himself, the doctor's entire face began to slide down his skull like a melting rubber mask mixed with blood and oil. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Naruto shouted as Tatonetti stood up and let his face, a dumb look squished into his features, roll straight from his head and onto the floor with a plop. Immediately the room filled with the scent of iron and death.

"I think you need to calm down right now," said Tatonetti in a gravelly voice as he took a step back from the table. "You're suffering another episode and you need to calm down."

Naruto, wide-eyed and deaf from the thrumming of his heart, pulled wildly and jerked at the cuffs around his wrists. The fetters cut into his skin, but Naruto didn't care. With no chakra this was his only chance of escape.

"Guard!" shouted Tatonetti's skull.

Naruto turned as the steel door of the room burst open and a figure robed in a tan garment rushed in. "No!" Naruto screamed, seeing the white face and long black bangs. The purple makeup and yellow eyes were a dead giveaway.

The guard rushed over to Naruto, who was beginning to bend the cuffs holding him, and raised his hand to strike. A large snake erect as a board sprung from Orochimaru's sleeve into his hand, and the Sanin swiped down at Naruto, clubbing him in the side of the head with the reptile. Naruto and his chair tumbled to one side and he struck his head on the concrete floor, washing his world over with black.

"OROCHIMARU!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, lurching up and throwing off the cloth he feared might be trying to strangle him. "Get!" the blond Ninja paused, huffing for air and looking all around.

He was in his bedroom, it was morning, and the sun was shining in through the floor to ceiling window in one wall. Outside it was springtime in Konoha, and inside, right beside Naruto a redheaded girl who had been curled up against him opened her dark eyes and looked curiously up at him.

"Another nightmare?" asked Tayuya, not unkindly, morning still coloring her voice.

Naruto sighed, dropped back onto the ample supply of pillows and threw his arm over his face, hiding his eyes behind the bend of his elbow. He took a haggard breath. "Yeah," he mumbled as Tayuya rolled onto her side and propped herself up on her elbow to look on him.

The corner of the redhead's lip tugged up in a sad smile. "Well," she said, "at least now it's over and you're back safe here with me." Her smile widened as she tried to sound as comforting as she could.

Naruto sighed again but didn't answer. He lay on his back thinking and resting his eyes. He'd just woken up, but as always happened when he woke up from one of those nightmares, he was still as tired as when he first went to bed.

"Every damn night," he muttered, wrapping an arm around Tayuya as she let herself down and rested her head on his chest, her thick, waist-length hair draping over the bed. "Every damn night for a year after the war... the medicine helped and got me back to the point where I could sleep again, but now even that's not doing any good. I feel-"

"Don't think about it," said Tayuya, her voice a coo. "You're safe here now. You can just rest all you like."

"That's not the point," said Naruto. "I'm a Ninja. I should be able to handle this."

"Shhh," the woman shook her head and shifted to look up at him. "You are handling this," she said. "You're getting better… but you saw a lot of horrible things during the Unification War."

"Even so," said Naruto, adjusting his arm as his fingers began to tingle. "What I did or didn't see shouldn't have taken this kind of toll."

Tayuya frowned at him a little. Her old temper broiled quietly but she pushed it back. "And, as Tsunade-Sama was so fond of pointing out, you were captured and help prisoner for more than a year Naruto. You were out on the front lines and you saw things no one should ever have to cope with. People don't just forget that, and there's no reason to beat yourself up for it. You did the best you could every time no matter what and Konoha came out on top in the end because of all your hard work."

The blond didn't answer immediately, watching as shadows from the tree outside swept across the roof and jumped back and forth like the silhouettes of dancers before a fire. The wind outside must have been rough to move the great oak so violently. "It took such a long time," he said as much to himself as to Tayuya.

"Naruto- I'm- All I want is for you to be happy," she kissed his chest once and looked back up at him. "And you really are getting better." She put one and on either side of Naruto and pushed herself up along him, letting the white linen sheets fall into the small of her back. Her face hovered over his for a moment as they studied each other.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said quietly, reading her face and knowing she was hiding the pain with a caring smile. What she really saw, he guessed, must have made her feel something like the torture he knew under Orochimaru. However, he knew she cared and that kept him going. "But listen to me, a burned out Ninja rambling on like this. Today I'm not going to be pessimistic at all, cross my heart."

Tayuya smirked. "You weren't so burned out last night."

Naruto laughed once, almost bitterly. "Well, I guess maybe I still have a little fight left in me."

"Twenty-five years old, I should hope you do," said the redhead, sliding off him and sitting up. She looked around the room at all of the sunbathed furniture glimmering in the light diffusing through the thinly curtained window. The only hint of the blasting wind beyond the thin glass was the shaking tree. "The next Hokage will need at least a little bit of fight if he wants to be any kind of useful at all."

Naruto smiled but didn't sit up. He cocked his head to the side and watched Tayuya as she stood up. It seemed to him like a scene from a novel as the linen which had been draped across her waist like a skirt fell away.

The redhead took an absent minded step forward, swaggering her hips as she always did when she wasn't trying not to look alluring. (For the first several months of their marriage Naruto frequently mentioned Tayuya's being 'distractingly sexy,' and ever since she'd begun making conscious efforts to be less alluring when in public.) Naruto grinned as he watched her.

"Oh," said Tayuya, now making no effort to be modest as she caught Naruto looking at her. She turned away and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Do I even want to know what you're thinking? Scratch that," she cut herself off. "Tell me exactly what's on your mind right now."

Naruto smiled to himself at her commanding, but simultaneously virginal tone. "My mind's a blank," he joked. He caught Tayuya's eye as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"So," she said, shifting her weight to emphasize her figure. "You're trying to say you weren't thinking you'd married the woman with the finest and most faultless ass in Konoha?" Tayuya put her hand on her hip and spread her feet wider to tease him.

Naruto shook his head and glanced down her legs. "I'm not sure you want to know what I'm thinking right now."

Tayuya smiled. She liked this. "Oh I don't know," she said, turning around to face him, bending forward and pressing her hands in the fork of her legs, framing her breasts in her arms for him as she did so. She smiled in the way a wife with a healthy appetite does and stroked her thighs with her index fingers as Naruto watched. "Try me."

"Now Tayuya, you know what's going on here," said Naruto in mock chastisement. "Are you trying to distract me from my mission today?"

"Yep," said the Kunoichi, standing up only enough that her breasts hovered at eye-level for the sitting Naruto. "And you know I always get what I want," she said.

Naruto nodded once, not even fighting the lecherous grin. "That you do," he said. "My dear, that you do."

* * *

AN: I really like Naru/Tayu. (smirk) next to Naru/Ino it's my favorite pairing. I've always liked Tayuya though and thought she got screwed over in canon. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first part, and there should be an update coming soon.

If you liked this you might check out my profile and browse through my short collection of stories. Right now I'm working primarily on _The Gambit_ but I took a break to pen this one out. Hope to hear from you all soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two – Recurring Nightmares

He thought it was fortunate, Naruto did, that the wind had finally died down some for if it had been blowing any harder Naruto felt that will all the weight he'd lost and failed to put back on over the last several months he would have blown away. Even as he stood now, six feet tall and weighing in at one hundred and forty pounds the blond Ninja saw his trademark white cloak decorated with red flames as more of a burden than a familiar comfort. Whipping around in the wind it acted like the sail of a boat and constantly tried to force Naruto to go this way or that.

The Uzumaki had left his home at the edge of the city more than an hour later than he'd meant to and began walking at twenty minutes before noon towards the nerve-center of Konoha's government, the Hokage's complex which was built into the side of the mountain. All around him the village seemed to be in full swing, people were out everywhere going about their business. It relieved Naruto to see that the last of the construction crews hired to rebuild the village had finished their work since last Naruto walked down this particular road, though it had been more than five months since he'd come this way.

_The last signs of the war are finally disappearing from Konoha,_ he thought. Naruto smiled, pausing to wave back to some elderly man who called his name from the opposite side of the street only to beam and wish him a good day. _People are finally beginning to recover._

Naruto turned back towards his destination, which loomed overhead less than two blocks away, and looked up at the five faces carved into the wall of the low mountain. Five Hokages stared off into space, watching over the village and its entire population. _Then again, none of these people really saw the war,_ Naruto thought bitterly. _Not one of them was ever on the front line for more than one-_

_Besides, none of them are really smiling… How could they be?_ Naruto glanced at the flyer pasted up on one stone wall at eye-level. 'Report any suspicious activity to your local ANBU office immediately,' it said in bold white text on a black background. Across the poster someone had scribbled a in red ink a rough representation of Tsunade, her breasts even more disproportionate than they were in real life, pointing her middle finger towards whoever looked at the poster. The drawing however was not complete. The final line which would have finished Tsunade's leg ended in a choked squiggle.

_She probably crucified whoever drew that,_ Naruto thought.

The blond cut his thoughts off and shook his head as he reached the end of the block and crossed the street without looking either way, coming up to the whitewashed wall that ran around the Hokage's complex. It was twenty feet high and quite nearly as thick. Naruto could easily remember, it was only a few years, when this wall hadn't been necessary. _Ever since Konoha took over,_ Naruto thought, the bitter edge beginning to creep back into the timbre of his thoughts, _security has been so tight._ He looked up to and waved at the five ANBU sitting silently atop the sentinel tower built into the wall above the gate. They didn't wave back.

_Posers,_ Naruto huffed. _Not one of them has a goddamned clue. I'll bet they weren't even on active duty during Unification… not many Ninja alive today were… goddamned Akatsuki. We should have exterminated them all._ Again, Naruto shook his head as if he were trying to fling the words from his mind. He stood in front of the massive oak gates, reached out his hand, and knocked four times loud enough that anyone in the courtyard behind would have been able to hear.

The ANBU in the watchtower looked at him disapprovingly. None of the ANBU around Konoha liked it when anyone in the village made too much noise. Naruto wanted to flip them off. _Go to hell,_ he thought, glancing over at the Ninja in the white masks as the gate opened.

"Oh, Naruto-Sama," said the Ninja widening the gap in the gateway, speaking loud enough to be heard over the profound bronze hinges. It was Sakura, wearing her typical red blouse and matching crimson shorts. The Kunoichi smiled welcomingly and stepped back. "Come in, come in."

"Hey Sakura," said Naruto, smiling and thrusting his hands into his pockets as he entered the vast courtyard beyond the gate. "And Haven't I told you before to drop the –Sama thing?"

Sakura grinned and shut the gate behind him, her high heels clacking on the marble walk which lead through the courtyard straight to the massive building beyond. "Yes, but that was always when I was making house-calls. I thought that since we're both on duty now, apparently," she looked him over, "that you might want all of the formalities."

"Screw the formalities," said the Uzumaki as he and Sakura began to walk towards the complex, passing here and there a Ninja or Kunoichi lounging on the grass beside the marble path or eating a boxed lunch underneath one of the trees which lined the wall. "How have things been here?"

Sakura shrugged, reaching up and adjusting the thick pin which held her hair in a tight bun. "It's been alright," nothing too new has happened for weeks. It's been more or less business as usual."

"Yeah," Naruto grimaced a little. "I can imagine helping Tsunade run an empire can't be all that interesting."

"Don't start Naruto," said the Kunoichi, quickening her pace to get a few steps in front of him. "And please don't say that to Tsunade-Sama's face. You know better than anyone we're not trying to 'run an empire.'"

_Believe me,_ Naruto thought, letting her get ahead of him. They'd been down this road. _I know._ "Sorry," he said, half genuinely. _But what else would you have me call a government that controls from the Wind Country to Kiri and everything in between?_ "I didn't mean to step on any toes."

"Yes you did," said Sakura, turning around and giving Naruto a smile that was about as genuine as his apology. She stopped and Naruto stepped beside her. "Listen," Sakura mumbled. "I'm sorry if I'm a little short with you, but Tsunade-Sama and I, everyone around here is still trying to get a handle on exactly how to run a government as large as this one."

"I know I know," said Naruto, not unkindly. "This scale of this … administration, is completely unprecedented. Konoha's territory encompasses everything on the continent. That's never happened before and people are going to have to deal with a few compromises until the government can streamline itself."

Sakura laughed once, recognizing the propaganda. "I see you've attended one too many of the Hokage's press-conferences."

"And I've been listening to the commercials," said Naruto as they reached the complex climbed the stairs to the massive wooden deck. "And I've read the flyers stuck to every street corner, and I've heard the radio broadcasts… Did you know that in Kiri a young man was executed on charges of treason a week ago?"

Sakura shivered once. "And?" she probed.

"And," Naruto continued, "he was charged with treason for telling one of Konoha's ANBU to kiss his ass when the ANBU demanded to search his house without a warrant."

"I hadn't heard anything about that," said Sakura quickly, pulling open the big door to the complex and stepping inside, beckoning for Naruto to follow her.

"Neither had I," said Naruto, "as none of Konoha's news channels are covering it, the post isn't reporting it. Hell, I probably wouldn't have found out if not for the man's mother coming to Konoha to protest to the Hokage and demand reparations."

"Why did she come to you?" asked Sakura. "Why didn't she ask one of the ANBU to show her to the Hokage?"

"Hah," he laughed once. "She said because I was 'famous' and because I was a 'war hero' that she it would carry a lot of weight if I could take her case to the Hokage. When I told her I couldn't, she told me that she was still going through with it. She said that she would come talk to me if her plaint got anywhere."

Sakura visibly bristled.

"Yeah," said Naruto, stepping into the beautifully decorated antechamber with its spiraling staircases and gorgeously decorated walls and ceiling. The gold filigree laid into the ivory colored walls glimmered in the light let in by the huge, floor to ceiling windows. "I haven't heard back from her yet either."

"Naruto," said Sakura with a hiss, whirling around on him. "You're not going to bring this up to Tsunade are you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," said Naruto, crossing his arms in front of his chest as the door closed with a thud behind him. The only occupants of the room besides Sakura and Naruto were the dozen ANBU Ninja scattered about the chamber. Because of their masks it was impossible to tell where, if anywhere, their eyes roamed, but Naruto had felt ever since he entered that many gazes had fallen on him.

"Please," Sakura whispered, turning around and again motioning for Naruto to follow her through the deathly silent room. "You have a career ahead of you, a bright one."

_I've definitely got something ahead of me,_ Naruto thought.

SC

"There he is," said Tsunade boisterously as the door to her office opened.

Naruto and Sakura both stepped inside and Sakura closed the door behind them. Looking around the Ninja with the blue eyes noted that the room looked nothing like the last dwelling Tsunade had called her office. The walls were all as white as alabaster and decorated with golden trim, probably real gold he thought. All along those walls hung tapestries and paintings, and in each corner of the room was some piece of art carved from stone.

At the rear of the room, stretching nearly fifteen feet long and two feet across was Tsunade's crescent-moon desk. The glimmering Mahogany piece flickered in the sun let in by the wall to Tsunade's left, a wall made entirely of glass. The desk made seemingly from one solid piece of mahogany was thickly lacquered and looked more like a ruddy gem than a piece of furniture.

Tsunade got up from her high-backed chair and rested her hands on the polished surface in front of her. "It has been far too long," said the Hokage, looking only at Naruto. "How have you been doing? How are you feeling?"

Naruto could only force one corner of his lip to tug upwards, and his eyes completely destroyed the botched attempt to smile happily. "I'm alive," said the Ninja. "Those pills you prescribed are some kind of good drugs."

"Aren't they?" said Tsunade, ignoring his disrespect and walking around her desk to stand in front of Naruto, even if she did keep a few paces between herself and Konoha's most celebrated Ninja. "I have to have one myself every now and then to keep the stress at bay."

"Yes," said Naruto. "Stress, I hear it's a real killer."

Sakura laughed once uneasily. "Tsunade-Sama," said the Kunoichi. "Did you need me for anything more?"

The Hokage shook her head and looked at her apprentice. "No, not today," she said happily. "I gave you the rest of the day off didn't I? Why don't you take it for yourself and relax?"

"Yes," nodded Sakura, stepping for the door and nodding politely. "I think I'll do that."

"I mean it," said Tsunade as Sakura left the room. "Take the day and just enjoy yourself."

_Hard to do with ANBU watching while you take a piss,_ thought Naruto.

As soon as the door shut behind the pink haired Kunoichi Tsunade let her shoulders droop just a little and her chipper façade sagged noticeably. "Argh," said the old woman. "Speaking of days off and good drugs I think I could use some. This has been one hell of a … of a something kind of day." She walked back around her desk and sat in her chair.

"Alcohol just not quite taking the edge off?" asked Naruto, stepping forward and sitting in the chair, not minding his tone or demeanor.

Tsunade laughed once. "I know I can trust you," said the old woman, pulling open a drawer in her desk and removing a tall white bottle and a pair of stone cups. "That's why I'll let that kind of sarcasm, from you, slide." She filled one cup to the brim with a clear liquid that smelled very strongly of alcohol. "Are you abstaining?" she asked politely.

Naruto shook his head. "Absolutely not," he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk as Tsunade poured the second cup. "Anymore this is what wakes me up in the mourning, and puts me to bed at night."

Tsunade grinned and handed Naruto the cup, then took a drink from her own. "Careful," she said with a breath as she set the liquor down. "What would Tayuya think if you turned into an alcoholic?"

"She's a good woman," said Naruto, pausing to take a big drink, two mouthfuls, of the liquor, "and a good person. She's stronger than I am. I guess she has to be since she still supports despite my less seemly habits."

"Speaking of which," said Tsunade, opening another drawer and removing a small prescription bottle. She set it on the table in front of Naruto. "I'll look the other way while you take that and slip it into your pocket."

Naruto reached out casually ad took the bottle, and popped off the lid. "Thanks," he said. "I appreciate this."

"And yet you still treat me like I'm a piece of shit," said the old woman. She raised her hand before Naruto could respond, even though the blond made no move to contradict her. "I understand how you feel," she said. "You hate me for what I made you do. That's understandable."

Naruto tipped the prescription bottle on edge only enough to knock one of the pinhead sized pills into the palm of his hand. Naruto tossed his palm to his mouth and threw his head back, then reached for the glass and washed the pill down with the alcohol.

"My desire to kill you," said Naruto, his tone completely serious as he immediately relaxed in his chair, "takes a back seat to my need to sleep, and my need to function as at least a somewhat normal person… how many are in here?" he gave the bottle a quick shake, making it sound more like a maraca than a container full of very, very illegal substances.

"Plenty," said the Hokage, a very small smile crossing her lips. "You'll be sleeping like a baby for months…" her tone darkened briefly, but only with seriousness, not with any trace of anger. "I do wish you'd stop insisting that you're going to kill me someday though," she said. "I am the Hokage after all."

"You're a tyrannical and homicidal bitch who's blood-drunk with her own power," Naruto added, completely at ease with his manner. "You've conquered the world and now you're conquering the people by taking away all of their freedoms… everyone knows it but no one will stand up to you… and don't feed me that propaganda bullshit. I've already heard it twice already today."

Tsunade winced but didn't retort.

"Now," said Naruto. "You implied that you had work," he probed, sinking back into the richly upholstered chair.

"When did I say that?" asked the Hokage.

"You never said it," said Naruto, staring at the ceiling as the pill began to work in unison with the alcohol. "But if you didn't have some kind of assignment for me, you would never tolerate me being this disrespectful. You'd have had me crucified for my first alcohol jeer."

Tsunade grinned and shook her head once, getting to her feet and walking to the windows. She stared outside in silence for a moment, leaving Naruto content to enjoy the buzz in the back of his head.

"You're right on all but one count," said the Hokage, watching as a squad of ANBU officers leapt from roof to roof in the village below Her tone was devoid of all her former civility. "First, I would have had you killed for all this disrespect if I didn't have something for you to do, and second I do have an assignment for you."

"Thought so," said Naruto. "So what's the job?"

"Well, you were wrong about one thing," said the Hokage. She let the silence fall as Naruto's mind worked.

"You know," said Naruto. "We really could have been good friends if you weren't such a bitch. After all, we both had the other one completely figured out during the Unification War with Akatsuki and the other villages; as long as you left Tayuya alone I would do whatever you wanted, and as long as I killed whoever stood between you and power, you would leave Tayuya alone. We had the perfect relationship."

Tsunade nodded once. "Too bad," she said. "Now, do you want to know what your assignment is?"

"By all means," said the blond. "Cut the foreplay."

"There's a rebellion in Suna," Tsunade said flatly, not looking back in from the window.

"So it's back to the killing then," Naruto noted.

"You **are** the war hero," said the Hokage. "Isn't that what heroes do, get other people killed?"

"Or kill them," said Naruto. "Who then?"

Tsunade smiled. "You remember Gaara-kun?"

"Yes, he was the Kazekage in Suna before you dissolved the position after the war. He's taken up arms has he?"

"Him and about twenty very angry Ninja, they burned the prison camp where I was holding them and escaped into the desert four days ago."

"And you want me to kill him. Won't that cause a bit of a stir?" asked Naruto. "Wait," he held up his hand. "I forgot. 'The Hokage's Administration' has complete control over the media. No one will hear a word."

"Good boy," said the Hokage smugly. "You leave tomorrow morning. Go home and enjoy your day with Tayuya-chan. I'll send Kakashi to get you when it's time to go. You'll be leading a team of ten of your old war friends into the fray."

"Heh," Naruto laughed once, finishing his drink. "War friends… 'war'… seems that's about all I'm cut out for, isn't it?" Naruto got to his feet. The fact that he was completely composed under the effects of Tsunade's drug must have been a testament to something. "I'll need a full briefing, who he has, where he is, when he can get from one place to another, a full profile and capabilities outline. Also, I want Shikamaru on the team. He was married to Gaara's sister so he might be useful later."

"Kakashi will have all the pertinent information," said the Hokage.

"Oh, and before I go," said Naruto.

"I know," Tsunade cut him off. "If I even think about touching Tayuya all bets are off, you'll expose me, you'll come for my head and kill anyone in your way. We had the talk a hundred times in the War, Naruto. I'm not going to hurt Tayuya… she is the only thing between you and me after all, that and my pills."

Naruto smirked. "I wouldn't be alive long enough to worry about the pills," said the Ninja, "so it really is only Tayuya. It would be a very, very good thing for you to remember that precisely."

"Just get out of my sight and get a good night's sleep," said the Hokage.

* * *

AN: Yes, I made Tsunade into a power-hungry bitch. Want to make something of it? Lol. At any rate, This story is, quite obviously, an attempt on my part to break with canon. Honestly, I'm violently ill from an overload of Naruto canon. There are so many stories out there that are basically "Naruto: the Novel" where the author tweaked some little thing and then ran with it.

It's nothing against the people who write or read those fics. They have their place and some of them are exceptionally good. I've written a couple of novelized Naruto stories myself, but I think it's time for something new… no one has ever accused me of caring about the status-quo or of trying to avoid stepping on toes lol.

Anyway, there's my little rant. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

Peace!!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three – Borderline

"I don't want you to go," said Tayuya flatly, her old temper beginning to eek into her tone. "You don't need this and neither do I."

Naruto shook his head once. Standing by the edge of the bed and going through the top drawer of the dresser by the headboard he pulled out two black shirts, each neatly folded and laid them atop the wooden piece of furniture. "It's not like we have too many options here Swipes," he muttered, drawing on the pet-name he'd given her during their first honeymoon. "Tsunade wouldn't look too kindly on it if I told her to go get stuffed."

Laying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows across the bed, Tayuya tossed her head back to get a lock of her long red hair out of her face. "Since when have you **not** told that old bag to go take a flying fuck?" Her tone rose a bit as she frowned more deeply. "Naruto, you could get hurt, badly. This is Gaara we're talking about. You saw him in the War. Fighting on his own he killed two of Akatsuki's Ninja and wounded a third. I don't want you out against that."

Naruto exhaled audibly. "Don't talk to me about Gaara…" his voice was nearly a growl. "I saw him. I know exactly what he's capable of. I can handle him and with Shikamaru as backup there won't be any trouble. My only worry is that something might go wrong back here while I'm off 'saving Konoha' again."

The redhead pursed her lips in frustration and sat up, reaching for her bra which lay at the foot of the bed. "You're not going," said the Kunoichi, putting on the ribbon of intimate clothing. "That's the last word. You're not going."

Naruto stopped and closed his eyes, taking a steadying breath and leaning on his hands on dresser. His jaw tightened and his left hand went to his stomach as his fingers clutched at his shirt. "And you're not going to say that to me again," said the blond, his voice straining against both his temper and the vile twisting and churning beneath his chest.

"The hell I'm not," said Tayuya, getting off the bed and standing up. She walked around the edge of the bed and stood several steps away from the Ninja she'd married, crossing her arms and posturing aggressively. "Naruto, This is a terrible idea. I don't want you to-"

"Get hurt?" Naruto finished her sentence in a huff. "You don't want me to go, or you don't want me to come back?" his voice grew louder but weaker as sweat beaded on his forehead. "You don't want me to drink or you don't want me to take the pills? You don't want me to **what**, Swipes?" Naruto barked, whirling on her and instantly crumpling with a pathetic whimper. He managed to stay on his feet but slapped his hand down onto the dresser for support. The wood splintered beneath his palm and Naruto's balance instantly abandoned him.

Before he could blink, Tayuya was there beside him, her shoulder beneath his one arm and her hand underneath his other. She stood up enough to take all of his weight off the dresser as she pivoted and set Naruto on the bed as carefully as she would a child. Even when he was stable, Tayuya sat beside him with her arm still around his back. Her only movement was the minute tremor that shook her shoulders.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," she said, the ache in her chest making her voice as uneasy as Naruto's restless breathing.

The blond Ninja didn't respond. He sat staring at the floor in front of him with drooping but clear eyes. Tayuya watched his face for a long minute and turned away only long enough to grab the washrag setting on top of the dresser. "You always overheat when you drink too much," said Tayuya. She tried to sound chiding, but couldn't tell if she was successful or just pitiful.

Naruto didn't resist or turn away as she dabbed the rag across his forehead and then his cheeks. She smiled very slightly. "I won't sleep with you for a week if you go on this mission," said Tayuya. "Naruto," her smile faded as quickly as it had appeared, "please say something."

Naruto looked at her without turning his head. He looked back at the floor. The ache stabbing pain in his stomach had triggered a dull throbbing to overwhelm the front of his head. It made his ears feel hot as well. This was always what it felt like when the alcohol and the 'medications' wore off.

"I really need a drink," said the blond. "Do we have any of that filtered stuff from up north left?"

Tayuya looked at him in horrified disbelief for only a second before her face broke upwards. "The filtered vodka?" she confirmed, tears forming at the edges of her eyes as she forced herself to keep smiling: a very, very forced expression. "Yes, we have some in the fridge… Would you-"

"Yes," said Naruto flatly, his voice a little stronger now.

"Right," said Tayuya, her voice breaking as she stood up and let Naruto's arm fall to the bed with no effort from the blond to steady the descent. "I'll get some. We can both have a dink then…" She autonomously kept herself smiling as she left the room. Her footsteps as she walked down the long hall were muffled by the thick carpet.

Neither of the two would later notice that Tayuya had both mixed the drinks wrong and cried into them.

"I love you," said Naruto, too late for her to hear. "I'd die for you if you asked."

SC

Morning came without complaint, and Naruto woke as the sunlight broke over his face. He squinted for a moment, trying to decide whether or not he really wanted to get up, until the hand grenade exploding inside of his skull, the hangover, made up his mind for him. He closed his eyes again and buried his face in Tayuya's hair as she slept in front of him.

Smelling the scent of cinnamon which always seemed to hang about her eased the aching in Naruto's mind. It had always done so, though it only inflamed the aching in his chest. The alcohol failed to dull or blot out entirely the memory of what he had said that past night. Tayuya remained completely still except for her shallow breathing. She'd had even more than Naruto.

_God,_ thought Naruto, his chest tightening more. _She might be better off if I got myself killed out there._ He noted that she had pressed her back in close to him even though his arm draped relatively loosely over her waist. His heart throbbed once at his imaging what she must go through every time he drank or every time he took his 'medication.' _And last night was one of my better nights,_ he thought as a tear spilled over the corner of his eye.

He exhaled a deep breath and pulled her closer to him, snuggling against her as much as he could. She stirred only a little but remained otherwise motionless, completely and utterly asleep. Naruto leaned up and kissed her cheek, then hovered for a moment and kissed her again, then once more. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly after kissing her a fourth time, "for being like this."

Naruto, making an effort to be quiet, got up and pulled the covers back up over Tayuya, tucking the blankets around her as he did so. He turned to the bathroom door and reached around his back to straighten his shorts, then walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

The cold and biting water quickened his heart rate and made his brain forget exactly how much the hangover hurt. The frigid liquid ran over his closed eyes and soothed the aching behind them. It also made him shiver and once the aftermath of the alcohol had been dealt with as thoroughly as Naruto felt it could be, he switched the water over to warm and began to shower as the room filled up with steam.

When he stepped out and through a towel around himself, Naruto saw to no great amount of surprise that the mirror across from the shower had fogged up. He smiled a very little to himself and wrote in the fog with his finger. 'Swipes,' the message began, 'I love you. – Naruto.'

He knew the fog would fade, but the lines he'd drawn with his finger would remain, invisible paths so that when Tayuya took her shower, by which time Naruto calculated he would be gone, the message would reappear. It was a childish game, but it reminded the blond of how he and Tayuya had playfully communicated with each other during the earlier days of their marriage.

A knock resonating from the living room and made Naruto jump, not from surprise but because the sound agitated the aching that lingered in the back of his head. Quickly Naruto put on his shorts again and walked from the bathroom, observing Tayuya still as motionless as a stone, and got to the sunlit living room. He turned to the front door and opened it silently.

"Good morning Naruto-kun," the Uchiha Ninja said in his low monotone. Standing there in his Jounin vest and black pants, Itachi looked as much like a Ninja of Konoha as the next Shinobi. "Tsunade-kun sent me to fetch you for your assignment."

Naruto swallowed back the bile that threatened to jump up his throat when he saw Itachi's face and heard him speak. "What happened to Kakashi?" asked Naruto tersely, making no effort to be polite.

"Kakashi-kun was sent on ahead," said Itachi as Naruto walked back into the house. The Uchiha waited on the doorstep, knowing that Naruto would hear him even if the blond walked to the other end of the residence, which indeed, Naruto did. "There has been a need to slightly accelerate our plans."

Naruto didn't answer until he had grabbed the small black pack he'd prepared the night before setting beside the bed and set it over by the door. He quickly put on a pair of black pants and a crème colored shirt. From the closet he took a blood red cloak, decorated with black flames at the bottom, and slipped it on with a quiet rustle. Tayuya stuttered in her sleep only a little and rolled to face Naruto, still dreaming.

Naruto smiled very sadly as he looked at her, and drew a small pad of paper and pen out of the dresser's bottommost drawer. He scribbled a quick but genuine note, tore it from the pad, and slipped it into Tayuya's hand. "I'll see you soon Swipes," Naruto whispered in her ear before turning and picking up his pack from beside the door. He took one step to leave the room, then stopped and reached into his pants pocket. Feeling the little prescription bottle set his mind more at ease as he walked back to the living room and faced Itachi.

"Ready?" asked the Uchiha, his voice as bland as ever.

Naruto nodded and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him and hearing the magnetized lock click into place. Knowing that Tsunade couldn't just send someone after Tayuya through the front door was comforting, and knowing that all of the glass windows n the house were reinforced provided a similar sense of security.

"Let's get out of here," said the blond Ninja as he and Itachi began to walk down the side of the street.

Itachi opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word two men rushed towards Naruto cheering. "There he is!" one of the men shouted, beaming. "Naruto will take care of them for sure!"

"Yeah," shouted the second of the young men. "Go get them Naruto! We're behind you one hundred percent hero!"

Naruto made himself a smile and wore it like a mask as people on either side of the street began to whoop and shout his name, cheering him on and loudly wishing him their best. One woman in particular ran up to him, stopping just outside arm's reach, and smiled from ear to ear towards him. "You'll take care of us again, Naruto-Sama! I know you'll do it!"

Naruto nodded and patted the woman on the shoulder as he past, not really caring that a dopey look overtook her eyes at his touch. "Heh," the blond whispered to Itachi, still holding his forged grin and waving like a celebrity. "What the fuck is all of this about?"

Itachi, completely ignoring the fanfare, walked on. "You don't read the morning post do you Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head as the crowds cheering his name began to disperse as he and Itachi came within sight of the whitewashed wall of the Hokage's complex. Several ANBU operatives had appeared from nowhere among the gatherings of people and began to direct them to go about their business and to not be noisy about it.

"I get tired of all the pro-Konoha bullshit Tsunade forces all of the papers to run," he said only loudly enough for the Uchiha to hear. "So are you going to tell me why all these people are so happy to see me?"

"You're their hero," said Itachi, an edge of sarcasm in his voice. "You won the war and saved all of their lives from the evil monsters of Akatsuki. Why wouldn't they be pleased to see you?"

"Cut the shit Itachi." Naruto hissed, letting his smile evaporate. "Tell me what's going on or I'll kill you myself. I might just kill you anyway if I can't think of anything you've done right since the War."

Itachi sighed. "Yes, yes, and Tsunade would probably let you get away with it to save face for the village. You are after all the war hero and I'm the villain turned traitor… Last night Gaara's forces attacked Suna directly and raided the village. They broke right through the town guard, slaughtered half of the garrison of Leaf Ninja, and stole enough gold from the Wind's coffers to buy themselves a country."

"They broke right through the guard?" asked Naruto, his curiosity overriding the urge he suppressed to rip Itachi to ribbons.

"Yes," said the Uchiha. "This development means that either the rouge Ninja are stronger than we originally guessed or-"

"The guard knew they were coming and let them in," Naruto finished.

"Either way, Tsunade wants you to investigate and thanks to our mutual friend Zetsu," again Naruto had to swallow back bile at the mention of another Ninja he had been forced to let live, "we now know where Gaara's forces are hiding."

"I'll take care of it," said Naruto. "Who is going to be on the team going after them?"

"You're to lead the effort," said Itachi. "Nara Shikamaru is your lieutenant, Hatake Kakashi will accompany you, as will I and Sakura. Hyuuga Hinata and her subordinates will make up the rest of the ten man team."

"Ten?" asked Naruto incredulously. "Tsunade is sending us against Gaara with only ten Ninja? Has the old bitch finally gone senile is is she just trying to get us all killed?"

"Hinata has become truly godlike with her Byakugan and besides her there will be four other advanced Hyuuga warriors," Itachi commented. "Kakashi and I are both masters of the Sharingan, even you can't deny Shikamaru's skill, and Sakura proved herself by your side during the war. Besides, we have both the enemy's location and the element of surprise."

The two Ninja crossed the street and began walking parallel to the white wall of the complex. "Actually," said Naruto, "I think Tsunade is just trying to ensure that I feel pressured enough to win that I don't kill you in front of Sakura and thus throw away a strong… asset."

"Asset," Itachi's lip twitched into a grin as his sarcasm became barefaced. "Funny, that's exactly what Tsunade called Sasuke, an expendable asset-"

Itachi swallowed the last word as Naruto's hand locked around the Uchiha's throat like a vice. Before Itachi could even try to breathe Naruto had spun him around and slammed his back into the wall with such force the dust collecting atop the wall shook off and fell like a haze. Naruto reared back as a rasengan exploded to life in his hand.

"You arrogant fuck!" Naruto hissed, posturing to drive the attack into Itachi's face. "If I ever hear you mention Sasuke again I swear I'll kill you and give your head to Sakura as reparations." The rage in Naruto's eyes actually stopped Itachi from speaking.

"And if you say one word to her on this excursion," Naruto continued, growling. "You'd better pray that Gaara has mercy on you because I'm going to feed you to him in tiny pieces."

Itachi laughed until Naruto tightened his grip and brought the rasengan close enough to his face that the Uchiha's skin began to turn red from the windburn. "You're-" Itachi choked out haughtily, not resisting Naruto. "You're threatening me in broad daylight."

"Ask me if I give a damn," said the Uzumaki. "Stay away from Sakura and don't even think Sasuke's name ever again."

"Fine, fine," said Itachi. "You've got a deal. Let's just get this over with."

Naruto let the rasengan fade, but made sure that one of the blades from the vanishing ball of chakra whipped out and slashed a red line across Itachi's cheek. The Uchiha didn't flinch. "Next time," Naruto warned.

"Naruto-Sama," said a cool voice from behind the blond. Naruto let go of Itachi's throat and turned around to see five ANBU operatives standing behind him in the street. "Sir with respect we must ask that you refrain from such displays or-"

"Or **what**?" Naruto growled. All five of the operatives took a step back as the crowds all around continued about their business as if nothing was going on. "You'll arrest me?" he asked. "I would love for you to try and I don't think any of the villagers here would really mind if five of you blood-suckers vanished. You're all a pack of pathetic leaches. Get the fuck out of my sight before I rip your heads off and tell Tsunade you had it coming."

Two of the ANBU looked at each other and then on a silent order all five vanished in whirls of leafs. Naruto snorted once and turned back to Itachi who only put his hands up mockingly in surrender. "Shall we?" asked Naruto tersely.

"By all means," said the Uchiha. "Just out of curiosity, how drunk did you get last night?"

"Get – the – fucking – door," Naruto snarled, feeling his face get red as a thin layer of perspiration formed across his face.

Itachi without a word turned and knocked on the wooden gate. Naruto turned around and looked into the crowd. Most of the people glanced at him with a quick smile and then went on, but the blond watched as two teenage girls, neither one aware that he had his eye on them went about a hushed conversation.

"Man, did you see how he talked to those bastards?" asked the one girl.

"I totally did," the other squealed girlishly, trying to keep herself quiet but failing. "Naruto-Sama is sooo awesome. It will be great when he takes over as Hokage."

"Yes yes yes," said the first girl, tousling her blonde hair. "Maybe he'll get all of these stupid ANBU to cool their jets and things can get back to the way they were before Tsunade-debu won the War."

"That would be so incredible," said the second girl. "When he becomes Hokage he could set his sandals outside my bedroom door any day."

Both girls giggled and the first played with her bangs. "I don't know," she said. "He's already got my free pass to my house."

Both girls giggled again, until an ANBU office appearing behind them both silenced their merriment. "Alright ladies," said the Ninja in the mask, his voice indistinct. "Move along."

"Why don't you make us?" the second girl blurted, only realizing what she had said well after she'd said it. The ANBU Ninja didn't even flinch but just stared silently at them both.

"Er," the girl stammered as both she and her friend straightened up immediately, the hair on the back of their necks bristling. "Yes-yes-yes sir," she stuttered, turning around immediately, taking her friend's hand, and walking off quickly.

"Coming?" asked Itachi, pushing the gate open and stepping inside.

"Yeah," Naruto muttered. "Yeah, I'm coming."

* * *

AN: Oh No! Gaara has rebelled and Naruto is feeling the pressure. What's going to happen next?

Well anyway, thanks very much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Peace!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four – Relapse

The ten Ninja left Konoha at a quarter past eleven in the morning. Their road lead east and south along a road that would take them through what had been the river country before the Unification War when Tsunade's Konoha took power. Now the region through which the team would pass on their way to the desert was known simply as Area 08, and Suna was titled Area 07.

Naruto lead the group, running quickly with his arms behind him in typical Ninja form. Behind him was Hinata, watching the horizon with her Byakugan which she had activated upon leaving Konoha's walls, even though that had been more than five hours ago. Behind Hinata was Itachi, then two Hyuuga and Sakura, followed by Kakashi and the two more Hyuuga. Shikamaru brought up the rear.

Passing through the dense forest that made up most of the Fire Country's (though now it was called Area 01) slowed their progress negligibly as Hinata quickly located the most efficient route through the brush and trees. Naruto made a point to acknowledge every direction she provided with a quiet 'thanks.'

"We should be coming up on 01's borders," in the next few minutes," said Shikamaru from the back of the group, catching Naruto's ear. "From there it will only be a few more hours until we reach the borders of Area 07."

"Isn't there a small village right on the border not too far from where we're going?" asked Sakura.

Hinata nodded. "It's a mile and a half out of our way," she responded, spotting the small collection of homes and buildings though there were still miles between her and the village. "Why do you ask?" said the Hyuuga girl.

Sakura shrugged as she ran. "I just thought that it might be a nice idea if we stopped in on the village for a few moments to make sure everything is running smoothly. It would be a kind thing to do."

"We don't have the time," said Naruto bluntly and without any concern for the tone of his voice. "We can't afford to stop and help out around every little hamlet that's between us and Gaara. We need to keep moving."

_I would like to though,_ Naruto thought, considering the proposition. _There could be people there who could use the help of trained-_

Kakashi cleared his throat and spoke up. "We're not short on time," said the weathered Jounin with the silver hair he now deserved. "Thanks to Hinata-kun we're actually ahead of schedule now. Naruto why don't we drop in and check on things? If nothing else it will maintain a presence along K- 01's borders."

Naruto looked straight ahead and shrugged. "Alright Kakashi-Sensei," he said, glad Kakashi had kept the subject alive. "If you think it's a good idea we can go for it." He turned around to address the rest of the group as he and Hinata altered their course. "Let's keep this brief and sweet," he said. "Get in, ask how things are going, maybe clean a yard or something, and get the hell out. If anyone has anything major for us to do we can work as a team. I don't want this taking more than twenty minutes tops."

Hinata and Sakura both grinned as the group began to shift towards the south. No one had much to say along the short deviant path, except Hinata who continued to guide them along the most efficient path possible. "It looks like there's some kind of stir in the town square," said the Hyuuga woman as the group neared. She drew in a quick breath and blurted, "There's been an accident. A building or some big construction project in the center of the village collapsed and everyone is gathered around it. It looks like people were hurt!"

"Move in," said Naruto calmly though his voice reflected a sense of necessary haste. "Hinata I want you to gauge exactly how many people, if any, are trapped in the rubble and I want Sakura to begin tending to the wounded immediately. The rest of you assess and get control of the situation; begin clearing wreckage as quickly and as carefully as you can."

A few moments later Naruto broke through the edge of the forest wall into the clearing on the other side. Hinata followed with the rest of the group an instant later. A few dozen meters in front of them the outermost buildings of the village rose out of the ground. Huts with straw roofs were the mainstay of the infrastructure, but all of the Ninja could see concrete structures, some multiple stories tall, farther in.

Hurriedly Naruto lead the team into the village outskirts, abandoned by locals, and towards the center of the hamlet via Hyuuga direction and sparing no haste. As they progressed a few blocks in the structures began to grow higher and thicker as actual buildings replaced huts and shouts of terror and shock began to fill the air. _This place is larger than it looks from the outside,_ Naruto thought.

Rounding a corner Naruto was the first to see the source of the commotion. Around a huge pile of rubble and twisted steel a crowd of people was gathered, shouting and hollering though most were standing around making noise and making no move for the wreckage. Next door was a construction lot, occupied only by the steel skeleton of a small building.

"Get to it," said Naruto to his team before he turned back to the front. "CLEAR A WAY!" he shouted, his voice suddenly booming and commanding. Instantly the edges of the crowd of perhaps two thousand people broke and turned to see what was going on, fear reflecting in their faces.

"CLEAR A PATH!" Naruto yelled, louder this time as people began to back away from the rubble. "WE ARE HERE TO HELP!" Naruto leapt ahead of the group and began to into the crowd, landing in an open space between two women and quickly making for the disaster.

Hinata reached the crowd and began making her way through as quickly as she could with the other eight Ninja following behind and beside her. People moved hastily out of the Ninjas' paths, but it was still more than a minute before the team reached ground Zero of the disaster. The sight was sobering. A pile of concrete rubble and metal rose twenty feet in the air and twisted piles jutted out from the mess like rotten fangs. Yellow police-tape formed a barrier which kept the crowd at a reasonable distance from the scene.

Sakura saw that a mere five rescue workers climbed over the rubble, calling out for anyone trapped beneath to give them some kind of sign. Naruto stood at the perimeter of the wreckage speaking with a man dressed in the uniform of a fire-chief whom the pink haired Kunoichi assumed to be the head of the rescue effort.

Naruto turned away from the man quickly and saw Hinata had already directed her Hyuuga bodyguards to begin scanning for survivors. Kakashi and Itachi had leapt to the top of the heap and begun to dig down, discarding the chunks and scraps towards the empty construction zone next-door.

"Sakura!" Naruto barked, catching the Kunoichi's attention instantly. "The hospital is two blocks west of here. The injured were moved there. Move!"

Sakura acknowledged Naruto's order with a nod and turned west. In a burst of speed she took off running, dodging and weaving through the stunned crowd. Quickly, but calmly, Naruto turned around and faced the wreckage, a dozen different scenarios and plans running through his head in an instant as he chose a course of action. "Hinata!" shouted the Uzumaki.

Hinata whirled around as Naruto leapt beside her. "Sir," she answered.

"How many?" asked Naruto, not looking away from the scene and raising his hands and biting his left thumb to draw blood.

"Nineteen," Hinata answered hastily.

Naruto flew through a series of seals and slapped the ground. A black snake of kanji raced from beneath his palm and formed an intricate seal on the ground. Less than a blink later the symbols exploded in poofs of white smoke which disappeared like breath on a cold day, revealing a dozen tall toads standing around Naruto, each one orange in color with massive forelimbs and stocky legs. Immediately the crowd let out a cheer of celebration. The toads each looked capable of doing the work of ten burly men.

"Clear the debris!" Naruto barked to the toads whose only acknowledgement was to rush for the pile of scrap with a chanted 'yes sir.' "And take it from the top!" Naruto shouted after them. "We don't want it to collapse in on the survivors! Set the rubble in the construction lot!"

"Hey!" someone on the edges of the crowd shouted as the massive toads formed a line from the top of the rubble to the yard next door and began heaving slabs of debris as large as themselves or even bigger away from the top. "That's Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto ignored his name as he ran for the rubble. One side had loudly caved in with a deafening crack and Hinata shouted that the shifting concrete had nearly severed a survivor's leg. Naruto jumped atop a stable piece of concrete next to the slab that had shifted. He pointed his right index finger down at the slab from beneath which a man was screaming out. "Hya!" Naruto burst as a blue spark and a line of white chakra shot from the finger's tip. The Concrete chunk split straight down the center with a shriek but did not shift.

"It is, it is!" Another voice in the crowd yelled. "It's Uzumaki Naruto! It's the hero!"

"He's here?" another voice asked as murmurs began to run through the crowd and all eyes fell on Naruto.

Still oblivious to his reputation catching up to him, Naruto bent down, drove both of his flat hands down into the seam in the concrete, and with a titanic effort and a grunt, wrenched them apart like a colossal set of doors as the crowd renewed its cheer. Holding one slab up with his left hand, Naruto reached down into the gap with his bleeding right and heaved up a man whose leg looked to be hanging from his pelvis by a single bloody thread.

Hinata was by Naruto's side immediately and scooping the man up in her arms. "I'll get him to Sakura," said the Hyuuga woman, setting her hand on the wound as her fingers began to glow and the blood flow slowed.

"He's to be priority," said Naruto as Hinata took off with the survivor. Even as the crowd continued cheering Naruto grabbed both sides of the monolithic chunk of concrete he held up and lifted it over his head and with a grunt, threw it to the bottom of the disaster-zone. The crowd went wild with the display, cheering and shouting that Naruto would save them.

Naruto, however, heard only the directions of the Hyuuga bodyguards, directing the Ninja towards survivors as the Uzumaki turned back to work and began digging away the debris.

SC

"You really did too much," said Sakura chidingly as she stood over Naruto, wrapping bandages around his bleeding fingers. She had just finished resetting two of the fingers Naruto had broken when a falling slab of rubble crushed his hand. He could have moved, but had he done so the woman he was rescuing might have come to harm. "And I wish you'd let me do this back in the village. That demon in your gut can mend wounds but they won't heal right if you don't set broken bones."

"I did my job," said Naruto gruffly, looking around from where he sat at the tiny clearing where his team had stopped when Sakura insisted she examine Naruto's hand. "And I didn't want to stay in that village any longer than we had to. We needed to do the job and move on since we were already falling behind schedule."

Kakashi grinned beneath his mask. "We did a good thing though. Thanks to us no one was killed in the collapse. We got everyone out alive, even if some did wind up a little worse for wear."

"Did you see how happy everyone was to see us?" asked Hinata, smiling from ear to ear. "It's like we were super-heroes or something."

Itachi grinned sarcastically. "Yes, that man who had to have his leg amputated was just ecstatic to see us I'm sure. He probably can't wait to see another Ninja."

Naruto sniffed at the comment, "And he probably won't see one ever again with the way Tsunade has every Ninja in the country spying on the populace of Konoha." Naruto felt everyone in the group, excepting Itachi bristle as he insulted the Hokage. He didn't care though. "Don't you think it was odd that they didn't have any heavy equipment on the scene?" he asked. "Where could it have gone? Don't most villages have emergency equipment to deal with building collapses like that?"

"I did think it was odd," said Hinata.

"Not odd," said Naruto. "It was criminal. Those people would have been able to use their construction equipment to dig out the survivors if they hadn't sold every piece of it to meet Tsunade's taxes. Fuck, that building wouldn't have collapsed in the first place if it had been built with the proper supports, supports the contractor couldn't afford because of Konoha's tax laws-"

"Naruto," said Shikamaru in his usual bland tone. "You really can't afford to speak like that."

"I'll say whatever I damn well please about anyone I want," Naruto spat, his tone turning sour as he turned to Sakura. "Are you quite done yet?" he asked.

Sakura tied off the last bandage and finished up her work. "I don't know why I bother patching you up," said the Kunoichi as she and Naruto both got to their feet. "You're just going to go and get some other body part ripped off and-"

"**Gyak**!!" one of Hinata's bodyguard's heads snapped back with a loud crack. A kunai burst out the back of the man's skull in a shower of blood and brain as his body fell backwards off its feet.

"Ambush!!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs as a rain of kunai and shuriken began flying out of bushes and from the branches of nearby trees. He grabbed Sakura, encasing her in his arms, and spun her around as an axe flung from a shadow slammed into his back and shattered his shoulder blade.

Sakura gasped, "Naruto!" and jumped up as he let her go and crumpled to his hands and knees.

All around as Kakashi and Itachi jumped up to fight and Shikamaru vanished in a poof of smoke to find a vantage point, a dozen Ninja garbed in camouflage matching the forest perfectly sprang from nowhere and engaged them.

"Shit!" Hinata swore, activating her Byakugan instantly and scanning the forest all around. "Thirteen!" she yelled, just before a Ninja appeared behind her and reared to strike. Hinata barely seemed to twitch, but her shoulder length hair snapped like a whip as she spun. Her assailant stopped in mid-stride and vomited up a mouthful of blood as crimson liquid exploded in thin fountains from his back, marking the exit wounds from the points where Hinata has slammed her fingers into his chest. He fell without another sound.

"Ten more incoming!" shouted the Hyuuga as the remainder of her bodyguards fell in a single stroke as a masked Ninja ran them both through with a lance of chakra that he'd drawn seemingly from nowhere.

Naruto reached around his back and took the axe in his shoulder by the handle.

"Don't," blurted Sakura. "You'll-" With a crack and a grunt Naruto wrenched the weapon from his shoulder and stood up. "-be fine," he finished her sentence for her.

"Don't die," he ordered, leaping towards a Ninja who had engaged Kakashi and turned his back on the blond Ninja. With absolutely no hesitation Naruto drew his hand back as his palm began to glow blue. As his target leapt away from Kakashi's earth-missile attack Naruto reached out and grabbed the Ninja's neck from behind with his glowing hand.

With no further display, the Ninja stopped moving and fell to the ground as Naruto skidded to a stop in front of Kakashi.

"I taught you that didn't I?" asked Naruto's old sensei, scanning the battle.

"I made it better," said the blond Ninja, whirling around and disappearing in a flash of light as an enemy Ninja's fiery attack tore into the ground where he'd stood less than a second before.

Kakashi jumped away as the clone Naruto had replaced himself with exploded and sent the fire scattering over the entire battlefield in dozens of little tongues. As Sakura disappeared and reappeared directly behind the back of the Ninja she'd engaged, Naruto tracked down his assailant and with barely a flick of his wrist, shot a bolt of chakra into his heart, bursting the muscle and killing him instantly.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted, just as Itachi finished the last enemy Ninja in the clearing. The Nara emerged from the walls of the clearing beaten and bloody, staying off his left leg which ended in a stump. "Gaara is-!"

Shikamaru slipped forward and plummeted to the ground as something ripped his feet out from beneath him.

"No!" Naruto shouted, leaping forward like a jaguar and catching Shikamaru by the wrist before the carpet of sand which had taken hold of his good foot and his truncated leg could pull him to certain death. "Hold still!"

"Cut his fucking legs off!" shouted Itachi as Shikamaru was stretched in the air by the sand pulling at him and crawling farther up his frame as Naruto fought desperately to keep him stationary.

"Not that!" Shikamaru belted.

Kakashi appeared beside Naruto, his hand glowing not with lightning, but with a roaring fire. The copy Ninja slammed his hand down into the sand at Shikamaru's feet and immediately the flame exploded out, warping the sand into glass in a second, which he kicked and shattered. Freed, Shikamaru and Naruto both tumbled back as Kakashi leapt away.

"Trouble!" Hinata shouted. "We've got-"

Before she could finish a wall of sand sprung up all around the edge of the clearing, fifty feet high, yards thick, and with such force that the trees in its path were wrenched up with it and the ground was flung up like so much dust in a storm.

Naruto swore as, simultaneously, the sand fell as though it were going to bury them all in a desert, and his frame flashed red with a fiery energy that instantly set fire to the grass at his feet. Throwing out his hands and dropping to his knees as the red aura covered his frame, Naruto summoned a barrier of red energy, a dome around all of his teammates that took the punishment as the sand collapsed. The other Ninja could only watch, unable to provide any real aid, as the sand reared back like an angry snake, and slammed itself into the protective dome like a battering ram.

Twice more the sand battered Naruto defenses and twice Naruto flinched at the effort, beginning to bleed from beneath his fingernails. "It**ach**i!" shouted Naruto, his voice fluctuating with Kyuubi's. "H**ow big of** a blast can you make **with Amater**esu?"

"Big enough," said the Uchiha, his Mangekyou sharingan beginning to spin wildly as he turned away from Naruto. One side of the dome collapsed as Naruto let go of part of the chakra, and without a pause between, black fire roared from Itachi's eye and incinerated the sand, leaving nothing, literately nothing in its place.

"**Go**" Naruto grunted, standing up and reforming the dome into a bowl shape and throwing off the monstrous wall of sand as the others began to retreat. "Get back to Konoha!" the power in his voice began to fade and it became apparent that he was sweating profusely, and after only a few seconds of drawing on the Kyuubi's power.

_Shit,_ thought Naruto. _I'm already beginning to lose my grip on Kyuubi's power… fucking Tsunade and her goddamned medicine._

"Naruto you'll be killed!" shouted Hinata as the group fled a few yards into the forest. "Gaara's calling on even more power. The signature is enormous."

"I'll handle him," said Naruto as two tails of red energy began to form behind him. He turned away from the group as the walls of sand began close in. "Just get everyone back to Konoha."

"But-"

Sakura grabbed Hinata by the shoulder and tugged her back. "C'mon," she said, urgency in her tone. "We'd get in the way."

"Yes," noted Itachi as Kakashi scooped up Shikamaru and began to run. "This new Gaara, the Iron Sand Kami, is out of our league but Naruto may be able to finish him. Let's go." Hinata grudgingly turned away as the walls of sand fell on Naruto and buried him beneath untold tonnage.

As the Ninja began rushing back towards the leaf, the gritty, iron-laced sand exploded away from Naruto, melting in midair and revealing the fourth tail of energy thrashing around behind the Ninja. Naruto stared into the forest through wide eyes as the barricade of sand began to part before him, and Gaara stepped into the clearing.

The ex-Kazekage wore his usual faded-red attire, but his trademark gourd was missing. "Naruto-kun," said the man with the short spiky hair. It was less of a greeting than a simple acknowledgement of Naruto's presence.

Naruto knelt down to the ground and aimed himself at Gaara ready to strike. Somehow, beneath the wickedly hot chakra and the bleeding lesions beginning to appear across his arms as a sixth tail coalesced, Naruto was grinning. _Battle,_ he thought, his mind speaking in the tone of the Kyuubi. _No fun since the War. None at all, not one bit._

"**Gaara is strong,**" Naruto growled. "**He will be fun. He will.**"

Gaara shook his head a little and dropped his hands to his side. "You've slipped Naruto," he said flatly. "You used to maintain perfect control of the Kyuubi. Even with all nine tails out you were still yourself during the war."

"**No practice since the war**," Naruto sneered in the demon's tone. "**But that's changed now. You will be good practice.**"

Naruto exploded forward, coming to within arm's distance of Gaara in a microsecond of his leap and hacking with fingers completely encased in bloody chakra for Gaara's face. The Kazekage didn't flinch as a wall of sand burst up between his skull and Naruto's brazen attack. The red claws carved out swaths of the wall such that Gaara could even see light shining thorough the scratches left in his side of the barrier, but he was unharmed.

"For old time's sake," said Gaara, calm as a well rehearsed actor.

Naruto ignored the vague comment and spun away, kicking at Gaara as he did so, but impacting nothing but the iron sand. Again he leapt at Gaara, this time putting all the strength he could muster behind his swing. His claws tore straight through Gaara's shield this time, coming to within a hairsbreadth of peeling the skin from his skull. Naruto couldn't understand as Gaara leaned into the attack, exposing his cheek to the slash.

Naruto's claws ripped into the Kazekage's face… and instantly Gaara's form exploded into sand. "What!?" Naruto shouted as the sand rushed up his arm like an enraged colony of insects, smothering the chakra as they went. In a frenzy Naruto tried to wipe the sand away and shook his arm to get it off, but as Gaara's sand crawled up Naruto's arm like a creeping glue, it stuck tight wherever it touched.

Naruto collapsed to the ground and all of the sand around him rushed in like iron powder drawn to a magnet, encasing him in a shell harder than concrete or steel. After a moment's struggle, Naruto, or his shape stopped moving and lay utterly still on the ground as a silent figure stepped out from behind a tree and strode into the valley.

"Iron-Sand," said Gaara, crossing his arms and hovering the cocooned Naruto. "It increases the mass of the sand I use, making it harder for you to stop, but easier for me to control… but then you knew that," he said, knowing Naruto could hear him. "What I've added since we parted ways, is the fine iron powder, so small it can completely clog up not only pores… but Tenketsu. I can completely cut you off from your chakra, externally at least. But I know the Kyuubi will still sustain you, even if you can't breathe."

Gaara took a deep breath and looked around at the destroyed forest. "I'm taking you away from here Naruto," said the Ninja with the blood red hair, "for old time's sake."

* * *

AN: Howdy folks. Yes, I know that might have seemed a little rushed at the end, but I was trying to keep all of the chapters relatively uniform in length and this one was beginning to get a little long. To remedy this I had to cut a little bit out of the fight scene.

Anyway, thanks very much for reading and peace!

PS. Just for future note, I am not an Itachi fangirl lol.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Withdrawal

It had been two days.

"**Gaara**!" Naruto screamed, curled up and knotted on the floor of his softly lit and lightly padded cell. "Gaara!" He sucked in a hissing breath. "You fucking bastard! Stop this! I can't take anymore!"

The sound of teeth grinding filled the cell as Naruto's jaw locked and his eyes screwed themselves shut, creasing his face with deep lines. He redoubled over and curled into the fetal position. "Shit!" he cursed, a combination of a whimper and a yell. "GAARA! You can't do this to me! Please! Mercy!"

Just outside the cell, hearing every word that echoed within, Gaara sat on a splintered and uncomfortable wooden chair. In front of him was a television monitor receiving a signal from with Naruto's cell. The ex-Kazekage watched intently, not allowing himself to look away from the screen as Naruto's reddened form lay in a slopping patch of the sweat-soaked matting.

Behind Gaara, a door into the dingy and dimly lit hall opened. A Ninja wearing a forehead protector emblazoned with Suna's emblem stepped up next to the ex-Kage, but Gaara didn't so much as blink. When the Ninja sat a steaming cup of coffee next to the dark-eyed man with the red hair, Gaara ignored it.

The newly arrived Ninja watched Gaara for a moment, then looked at the monitor and heard the screams from the other side of the supposedly soundproofed door. "You don't have to watch this," said the Ninja respectfully, noting the hardness of Gaara's face as the ex-Kage watched his friend suffer.

"Yes I do," said the redheaded Ninja. His tone, not its usual monotone, betrayed the tightness of his throat. "It may be for his own good, but I'm still the cause of his suffering… I have no right **not** to watch… I'll eat when he eats and I'll rest when he does… that's how it was during the War and that's how it will be now."

The Ninja in the tan robes looked back at the monitor as Naruto rolled over, exposing his hands, bound in thick and well-enchanted cloth behind his back, to the camera. "I guess it's a good thing you had us prepare this room for him eh?" said the Ninja, trying to make some conversation with Gaara.

"Yes," Gaara droned. "If not for the seals in there, all over the walls, ceiling and floor, the Kyuubi would have destroyed this place long ago… Naruto's power has not waned, even if his focus has. That however, will return with his sobriety. Then perhaps he will be well."

SC

Naruto didn't know whether it was night or day. There were no windows in his room so he knew neither where he was nor what the world beyond his cell was like. Even if he had known however, he likely wouldn't have cared. The razor wire wrapped around his insides and the knives slowly driving themselves into his skull and bones consumed his conscious mind. He'd been a prisoner for eight days, living off meat, bread, and milk that strange men wearing odd robes force-fed him three times a day.

His last meal had been an hour ago, though he didn't remember it. He remembered none of his meals. All he remembered was the twisting in his stomach and head. His eyes shut so tightly his face seemed to stretch, Naruto lay on his side taking deep and heaving breaths through his wide mouth. He was sweating profusely as he had been for as long as he could remember.

"**NO!**" Naruto screamed, his eyes bursting open. In utter horror he watched as the padded floor twisted and warped before his eyes into a green field. The darkened ceiling began to glow and Naruto saw sprawled out before him in this waking dream four figures in the grassy field ringed by trees. "**NO!!**" he screamed again with such force that spittle landed many inches in front of him. "**SASUKE!! DON'T!**" He could only watch, powerless to control the vision as two of the figures before him exploded into crystal clarity. Uchiha Sasuke, a tall and strong man of twenty or so charged forward towards the figure clad in one of Akatsuki's robes.

As tears streamed Naruto's face and he screamed again, Sasuke bolted forward, towards Itachi, leaving Naruto and Sakura far behind him. In a flash Itachi disappeared and Sasuke stumbled in surprise. "**NOOOOO!!**"The roar tore from Naruto's throat, making ears outside his cell ring as Itachi appeared behind Sasuke and struck. "**SASUKE!!**" cried the Uzumaki, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling, unable to watch anymore but unable to escape the vision as he saw above him in the air Sasuke's limp form falling to the ground.

Outside Gaara turned away from the cell and buried his face in his hands as the wail exploded from the cell. A single teardrop slipped from between Gaara's fingers and landed on the floor at his feet as the Kage lowered his hands and rested his elbows on his knees, slouching heavily. "Naruto," muttered Gaara. "How long have you been like _this_?"

Naruto rolled onto his side again, tears streaming down his face, unhindered now by anything. He watched, reliving day after horrific day, unable to escape the vision by closing his eyes as Sakura rushed ahead of him and dropped to her knees. "Please," Naruto whimpered pathetically. "Please stop." In front of him now was a small village in the Noodle Country.

"Wipe them out," he heard a voice, Tsunade's, say from beside him, every word twisting his chest in a new and unnatural way.

"These people had nothing to do with the raid on Konoha," Naruto heard himself say, his voice echoing across the years and returning to him now. "They did nothing to us."

"They're sheltering one of Akatsuki's spies," Tsunade said as Naruto's vision focused blurred.

"Unknowingly!" the Naruto in the vision shouted, leaping in front of Tsunade and the other five Ninja lining the edge of the mountainous jungle that made up the eastern border of the Noodle Country. "We can tell them to give up the spy and they will!"

Naruto watched in agony as Tsunade ran past his younger avatar, accompanied by the other faceless Ninja. "Wipe them all out!" she yelled. "Naruto do as I say or Tayuya will pay for it!"

Naruto's tear-streaked face tightened again as his mind played through the minutes it took Tsunade and her team to slaughter the village, men women and children alike. "Please," Naruto cried again, seeing himself standing over the lacerated and charred remains of an eight year old girl. "Please don't kill anyone else… please stop."

He hobbled to his knees, then fell forward onto his face, pressing his cheek against the floor and arching his back mindlessly. "Sa-ke," he muttered, barely audible. "Sake," he groaned a moment later when no one answered. He fell sideways onto his shoulder and shouted "sake!"

Another vision began to parade in front of his face, this one had him standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking a green valley. Tsunade stood beside him and behind them were five Ninjas whose faces were bleared and unrecognizable. Set in a small clearing in the green was another small village. "No not again please not again," he stammered as the figures before him jumped down the side of the cliff towards the village. "SAKE!" he shouted when they landed and one of the buildings in the village exploded into fire.

"**NO! Give me SAKE NOW!**" he bellowed, his voice rumbling through the padded door and making the hall ring.

Naruto watched himself catch sight of a young woman holding her child close to her breast as the village began to burn around her. "**TAYUYA!**" Naruto screamed as he watched his avatar pounce on the woman. "**HELP ME!!**" He sobbed in a loud breath. "For pity's sake…" he groaned and cried, his face softening as he began to sob. "…save me… Tayuya… save me."

SC

Gaara had himself begun to lose track of time that day, though he knew it was fast approaching nighttime outside his underground sanctuary. The deep black rings around his eyes had widened for want of peace, but he remained at the table, watching Naruto through the television monitor. It had been four weeks now, four complete weeks and the coming morning would begin the fifth. Naruto had finally stopped thrashing only the night before and slept in the corner of the room. Gaara believed it to be the first time since the blond's arrival that he had had any genuine rest and even had a guard enter the room to make sure the Uzumaki was still breathing.

Now Gaara stood up and pushed in his chair as the small clock on the wall chimed seven times. He walked to the door of Naruto's room and turned the well-oiled handle, pushing the door open on silent hinges. He stepped inside the room, reeking of sweat and other less seemly things, and sat down in the corner opposite Naruto, leaving the door open enough to give the room some additional ventilation. The small fan in the ceiling wasn't cutting it.

An hour passed, then two, finally a third went by and Naruto began to stir for the first time in more than twenty-four hours. He mumbled in his sleep once, then turned from his back to his side and opened one eye, glancing around the room once before looking at Gaara and the open door, though he'd seen both immediately. Gaara let Naruto sit himself up, his hands draping at his sides as the ex-Kage had unbound him the day before.

The blond's face was streaked with red and salty lines, his hair had a sheen of oil even in the darkened room and looked to be an inch too long for him. Gaara noticed immediately that Naruto smelled nearly as bad as the mats for whose filthiness he was responsible, but for the first time since coming to this facility, Gaara saw the blueness return to his eyes, and saw the ample color in Naruto's face that had been absent for months.

"Do you know where you are?" asked the Ninja with the red hair.

Naruto looked around again and turned to Gaara. "In a padded room?" he guessed, his voice quiet but only from rest.

Gaara smiled very slightly. "Old friend, how do you feel?"

Exhaling deeply Naruto reached above his head as if he were going to take hold of the ceiling. He stretched for more than a minute, not answering Gaara's query with anything more than the grunts of a man working long unused muscles.

"Soar, very, very soar," Naruto said frankly, though his tone wasn't angry or vindictive. He sounded, well. "My shoulders ache, my legs hurt, my back feels like I've been sleeping on a log for a year… but," he looked down at the mats, not even noticing the putrid smell of the room he had so acclimated to it. "I feel good," he said slowly. "I feel really good."

"I'm glad," said Gaara, his smile becoming noticeable. "This facility is built over an underground volcanic lake. We have hot-springs and plenty of hot water. You would perhaps care to bathe?"

Naruto nodded once. "Before that… am I your prisoner?"

"You were but now you are my guest," said Gaara without any pause. "And before you even ask, your wife is safe in Konoha. I have one of my contacts within the village keeping a watchful eye on her."

Naruto smiled widely and his eyes lifted. "Thank you, Gaara. Now, about a bath?"

"Follow me," said the Ninja, standing up and opening the door all the way as Naruto got to his feet. "The baths are on the level below this one. I've had one cleared for you already."

"That was considerate of you," Naruto noted as Gaara lead him out into the hall. He took a deep breath of the cleaner air which, to him, tasted sweet and felt cool on his soiled face. "Or are you just trying to say I'm going to need one all to myself?" Naruto looked down at his clothes, though one could hardly call them clothes anymore. His shirt, originally the color of crème now seemed more fit to be found in a field full of cows and his black pants were stained several dark colors.

Gaara lead Naruto without any further exchange through the hall and out a steel door into another room, a stairwell on whose ninth of ten landings they stood. They descended the warm stone stairs to the very bottom, and Naruto only then noticed, because of the warmth on his feet, that he was barefoot.

"Here" said Gaara, pulling the door open and walking with Naruto into a small and empty marble chamber with four doors on the opposite wall. "The bathhouse I cleared for you is the farthest to the left, as well as the one with the strongest current of water flowing through its basin. Just throw those clothes in the garbage in the corner and by the time you're finished I'll have clean robes waiting for you."

"Thanks," said Naruto as Gaara turned back to the door. "And Gaara," he blurted, stopping the man's exit. "It's really good to see you again," said the Uzumaki. "And… thank you."

Gaara nodded. "I can't say it was a pleasure to do this to you," said Gaara. "However it is good to see you again, and to see that you're better. If you feel well enough, come by my office on the top floor after you're done. I have an offer you might find very interesting." He stepped outside to give Naruto some privacy and closed the door behind him.

Naruto sighed, enjoying the feel of the warm marble beneath his feet and walked to the door farthest on the left and pulled it open. Beyond the decorative divider Naruto saw a large room, sprawling out directly in front of him and to his left. Running through the direct center of the room like a moat was a deep trench filled with steaming water. To Naruto's amazement, the water was actually flowing from right to left with a fair bit of speed. He grinned and shrugged out of his shirt, throwing it in the waste basket beside the door.

SC

Gaara sat at a small but well polished oak desk in his compact office, looking with guarded interest over what looked to be a map. He had his head in his hands and scanned the large parchment for several minutes before a knock on the door caught his attention. "Enter," said the Ninja.

The door opened with a quiet creek and Naruto, dressed in a perfectly white robe stepped in. A towel was over one of his shoulders and on his feet were padded sandals. "This is all a bit much," said Naruto grinning and smelling like some combination of fruits. "Your aid brought in a basket full of all kinds of girly things with the robes," he continued good naturedly. "A simple bar of soap would have been plenty."

"And yet it seems, or rather smells, like you used all of the 'girly things,'" Gaara grinned.

"Well," Naruto shrugged. "They were there and I saw no reason to let them go to waste."

"Yes, of course not," said Gaara, folding his hands on the desk in front of him. "You smell less like a carcass now at least."

Naruto laughed once, but stopped himself and stammered for a moment. _I laughed,_ he thought to himself, not entirely sure what was going through his mind. _I'd forgotten what a real one feels and sounds like._

"Are you alright," asked Gaara, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes," Naruto blurted, catching himself. "Yes I'm fine. I'm better than fine really. I really needed a bath. Now, you mentioned you had some sort of proposition," he probed, setting in the chair opposite Gaara without being invited to do so.

Nodding Gaara took a deep breath. "I do," he said. "And I can tell you before I say anything you probably won't much appreciate what I have to say."

Naruto cocked his head off to one side. "And," he said, motioning with his hand for Gaara to continue. "You don't need to worry about stepping on my toes here."

"If that's the case then," said Gaara warily. "I want to kill Tsunade and have you take her place as Hokage."

"Um," Naruto flinched, taken back by Gaara's frankness. "Um what?" he asked, not sure he had heard quite correctly. "Gaara, do you have any idea how crazy that sounds and how hard it would be to do? Are you- no way you're serious."

Gaara didn't respond for a moment, gauging Naruto's reaction. "Naruto," he said after a pause during which Naruto's face darkened. "I don't need to prove to you that Tsunade is a tyrant and a monster who needs desperately to be removed from power for the good of the people. You've seen what she's done. Look at the way she's ruling her empire.

"She's stripping the people of any and all of their freedoms and using ANBU to enforce her will all over the continent. Anyone who tries to stand up to her disappears and is never seen nor heard from again. You can not honestly tell me you haven't wished her dead before."

"Every day," said Naruto briskly, "and I've even thought, seriously thought, about killing her myself some days. Sure she needs to go but I'm not the one you want taking over for her."

Gaara crossed his arms. "Why not?" he asked. "What disqualifies you from the position."

Naruto swallowed and grimaced. "You don't want me in charge," he said. "And I don't want to be in charge. I'm not arguing that Tsunade needs to go, but I don't want any part in taking over when she dies, whether it's from old age or an assassin."

Gaara sat back in his chair and set his hands on the desk. "Then why are you in position to be the next Hokage anyway?" he asked. "You are her heir right?"

Naruto shook his head. "That was nothing more than a bad ruse to make people think Tsunade was really going to die of old age. Gaara, you and I both know that Tsunade's kinjutu is going to keep her alive for a very, very long time, maybe forever if all goes well for her. She's probably going to outlive me by a century or more…"

"Obviously the people don't know that," said Gaara. "If they did there would be an all out rebellion. As it stands, you are for all they know set up to be the next Hokage in a few years and I am willing to be that no one is going to miss the old bat if she departs ahead of schedule and leaves you in charge."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't want to be the one pulling the strings," he said firmly, looking around at the bookshelves lining three of the four walls.

"Then don't," said Gaara. "Restore sovereign governments outside of Konoha. Bring back the old countries and put good people in charge of them. No one is going to complain if you bring back the 'good old fashioned' way of doing things. No one said you have to rule the world, just Konoha… didn't you always want to be Hokage during your early years? I seem to remember very clearly that when we fought outside of Konoha during Orochimaru's first invasion you told me in no uncertain terms that you were going to become Hokage."

Naruto flinched. "I did, but Gaara, why can't you do it? You could take over… hell, if you said you'd become Hokage I'd even take care of Tsunade for you and leave the way clear for you to fix things."

"Do people routinely line up in the streets to chant my name when I walk by?" asked the Kazekage. "Do people openly say they can't wait until I take over for Tsunade? Naruto my spy, a Ninja you are quite familiar with, has informed me that the public opinion in Konoha is unanimously hopeful that you become Hokage as soon as possible."

"Maybe," said Naruto hesitantly. "But you're the freedom fighter. You're the one who is actually standing up to Tsunade and doing a notable job of it."

"I'm a terrorist," said Gaara. "You're a war hero. I'm fighting, for all the people know, to destroy them. You on the other hand saved the village and their way of life multiple times during the War."

Naruto cringed, but nodded. "That may be true, but it doesn't change the fact that I don't want to take over for Tsunade and you're never going to convince me to be a part of this if I have to become Hokage afterwards."

Gaara smiled very slightly. "Then you're going to have to kill me," said the Ninja with the red hair.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" he said uneasily.

"Naruto, I brought you here and forced you to go forcibly broke you of your dependence on alcohol and Tsunade's drugs for two reasons."

"And what would those be?" asked the blond, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"First," said Gaara, "because it genuinely grieved me to see you destroying yourself like that. Second, A drunken addict wouldn't be good for the people of Konoha."

"And here you are about to drive me to drink," said Naruto. "Gaara, I – do – not – want to be Hokage. What don't you understand about that?"

"I understand perfectly," said Gaara, "but sometimes the thing you want and the right thing are completely the opposite. You may not want to be Hokage but you're the best for the job now. And as for 'driving you to drink,' I'm not driving you to do anything. It's been a month and thanks largely to the Kyuubi-no-Yoko you no longer suffer from any physical addiction to either alcohol or the medication. Any cravings are purely psychological and can thusly be overcome by force of will, something of which you have plenty."

Naruto grimaced again and looked uncomfortably around the book rich room. "I'm not going to help you if it means taking over as Hokage," the Uzumaki said.

"It's going to happen," said Gaara with an air of finality about the statement. He stood up and folded the map laying on the desk. "In eight days my subordinate in Konoha will let me into the city after I sneak past the outer perimeter. I will kill Tsunade and flee, making sure there are dozens or hundreds of witnesses. At that point whoever is in line to be Hokage will take over for the slain Tsunade. If you don't want that to be you then I suggest you leave Konoha and never come back."

Naruto slumped back in his chair, stunned. "Gaara, how long have you been planning this?"

"About a year," said the Kazekage. "Ever since Tsunade took full power at least. I don't exactly remember. You are free to go," he was blunt, but not unkind. "I can provide you with clothes and supplies and directions to anywhere you'd like to go. I won't ask you to refrain from stopping me because at this point you nether can nor will you because you know that this is the best course of action."

Naruto listened, staring at the desk as Gaara spoke.

"Naruto, the decision is completely yours whether you want to help or not, but Tsunade will die and her regime will end one way or another. If you truly desire no part in this, then take Tayuya-dono and leave Konoha. You can come back here if you like and claim the facility as your own. If however you decide to step up and take the mantle for yourself, as I hope you will, be outside of the Hokage's complex in eight days at eleven.

"Naruto, there really is no doubt in my mind that you have the will to save this decaying world. It might take you longer to rebuild it than it took Tsunade to poison it, but I have total faith in your abilities."

Naruto frowned as Gaara stood still on the opposite side of the desk. For a long time, longer than either Ninja bothered to mentally note, Naruto stared at the table, his face wracked by thought as Gaara watched him for any action whatsoever. After a deep breath Naruto looked up at Gaara and got to his feet.

"I think …" he said quietly, his face still strained though somewhat calmer now, "I think that I want to go home and see Tayuya," he said.

Gaara nodded. "That can be arranged."

Naruto shifted and reached up behind his head to adjust the collar of the robe while Gaara walked around him to the door. "Gaara," said Naruto, halting the Kazekage's withdrawal. "I'll- I'll think about it."

Gaara smiled. "That's all I will ask," he said calmly.

* * *

AN: Well another day another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, but I've got to get to a class now so I'll see you all later!

Peace!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Reconciliation

It wasn't even that Konoha looked particularly wonderful that made Naruto's chest swell as he stood on the edge of the forest, looking over the plane, a mile or two across, that separated him from his village. Setting against the blue sky in the cloudless morning the village looked much the same way it always did from the outside, but since the War, Naruto had never felt so glad to see it. Few of the buildings were tall enough that he could see them over the wall, leaving only the stone carvings of the Hokage's visible and framed between the sky and the wall for Naruto to see.

_I'm almost home, Tayuya,_ he though as a smile broke across his face. He began walking towards the village, the comfortable clothes Gaara had provided for him making his movement free and easy. He began to run, and even before he realized he'd begun to move, Naruto was sprinting towards the village as fast as he could move. As the wind blew through his hair and across his face he realized just how long it had been since he'd enjoyed running. _So light,_ he thought, feeling the way his legs effortlessly propelled him along the ground. More than anything, he knew on some subconscious level that he was running only because he wanted to, not because anyone had ordered him to.

The grass barely stirred in his presence, only swaying long after Naruto had passed and the rush of wind left in his wake caught up. The blond Ninja ran, beaming towards the tall gate set in the western wall of the village, arms stretched behind him and the white cape decorated with red flames a crackling fire behind him. He stopped less than a hundred meters from the gate, dead in his tracks as two figured wreathed in black and sporting bone white masks appeared in his path.

Naruto had sensed their presence before he'd even taken his first step out of the forest, but he'd still wanted to run. Why? he wasn't entirely sure. It had just sounded like a good idea in his head at the time. Now though he stopped immediately without a hint of a stammer or any shift in his balance and waited for the ANBU to speak.

There was a brief pause. "Naruto-Sama?" said one of the ANBU, a woman if her voice's timbre didn't lie. "You're alive? You've come back?"

Naruto nodded as the two Ninja in black turned to each other. His smile faded, though his face remained soft. "Who else would I be?" he asked, holding his arms out to the side as the Ninja who'd yet to speak walked forward.

"Everyone thought you were dead," said the female ANBU, her voice muffled by her mask, though Naruto still sensed the emotion in her tone. She sounded happy. Her partner quickly frisked Naruto to ensure he was carrying no weapons or concealed items, as had become standard procedure for ANBU in Konoha. "The terrorists haven't said anything and the raids have stopped… Does this mean you were successful in your mission Naruto-Sama?"

"I-" Naruto stuttered once as the still silent ANBU stepped back beside its partner. "I'll discuss that in my report," he said not unkindly. "Is there any chance I could get by now?"

The ANBU again looked at one another before the woman spoke up. "As you wish," she said. "I have no grounds to hold you and you know all of our standard procedures. I might advise you to maintain a low profile as you enter though. It might cause a stir if you suddenly appear in the middle of town before – anyone else knows about it."

Naruto nodded once. "I'll keep that in mind," he said. "I'm not looking to make a big scene. I just need to talk with a few people."

"By all means," the woman spoke up again. "Do as you please. No one in the village will be sorry you're back."

Naruto grinned and shook his head once as the two Ninja disappeared into a whirl of leafs. _I'm not sure about that,_ he muttered inside his head. _Let's get this over with. _He took a steadying breath before he walked the rest of the way to the gate, crossing into the long shadow cast by the village's high stone walls. He went to the very edge of the gate and found the small concealed door immediately.

Pulling it open he slipped into the city and shut the door silently behind him, reaching over his shoulders and pulling his cloak's hood up to conceal the better part of his face from view. The crowd in the square beyond the gate continued going about its business as though they'd noticed nothing. Naruto grinned at his quiet entry and quickly disappeared into the crowd, heading for the Hokage's complex.

Naruto paused as a girl beside him, carrying a brown paper bag full of groceries stumbled and fell sideways. Without any second thought he extended one hand and caught her. He stood her up straight and with the other hand he capped the bag so that none of the articles would fall. The fluid motion was so quick that the blonde young woman had failed to utter any noise by the time Naruto had her back on her feet.

She looked around once to recapture her bearings and then up at Naruto who stood a full head or more above her. "Thank you very– " she stammered as her eyes saw under the white hood. "You're Naruto-Sama!" she blurted, a shocked smile bolting across her face. "I thought you were dead!"

_Oh god…_ Naruto thought, looking around and seeing that the girl's shouting of his name had drawn the attention of a half dozen people throughout the crowd.

"It is Naruto!" one of the women in the vicinity shouted.

"Where?" asked another man. "Where is Naruto?"

"There!" another pointed as Naruto sighed and took a step back, whirling into a flurry of green leafs and vanishing from sight as the crowd began to buzz and people began to press in all around.

SC

_So much for not causing a stir,_ thought Naruto, almost joking with himself in his mind, as he walked down the lavishly decorated hall of the Hokage's complex, escorted by Sakura ahead of him.

"I still can't believe it," said Sakura, her humor improving with every step they took towards the stairs at the end of the hall. "Everyone here thought you were dead," she said. "When ANBU couldn't find any sign of you Tsunade began preparations for your funeral. I guess none of that will be necessary now. The village will be glad to know you're safe."

"I've been getting that general impression," said Naruto. "It seems like everyone in the village was aware of my having gone missing."

"Well…" said Sakura, beginning to ascend the carpeted stairs with Naruto behind her. "It's not like you're a particularly low-profile individual. So did you – take care of Gaara then? Is this whole terrorism business over now?"

Naruto nodded his head once. "I think it might be," he said. "I don't think he's going to be doing Konoha any harm ever again."

Sakura's smile faded briefly. "It's too bad," she said. "He was a good friend for a long time." She quickly shook off the ill-humor and turned back to Naruto. "But at least things turned out well enough. You're looking much better," she said, giving Naruto a quick and friendly once-over. "You look healthier than when we left," she joked. "I guess Gaara sure didn't mistreat you."

"We were good friends," said Naruto as he and Sakura turned down the hall that would lead them to Tsunade's new office. "He took that into account and made me more of a guest than a prisoner I think."

"And you returned the favor?" asked Sakura as the pair stopped in front of the large mahogany door. "When you escaped that is. You honored your old friendship with him?"

Naruto shrugged as he pushed the door open. "I like to think so," he said, stepping into the office with no hint of hesitance. Sakura grimmaced and shut the door behind Naruto.

The blond Ninja quickly scanned the room, noting that nothing had really changed. The windows let in the same amount of light they had when he was last here, the walls sported the same number of books they had, and Tsunade's desk looked the same as it had weeks ago. As Tsunade stood up from her chair and set her hands on her desk without saying a word though, Naruto immediately felt something was off. It was nothing about Tsunade or the room, neither of those had changed, but something was different.

"You son of a bitch," Tsunade laughed once. "You made it. So how about it then?" she asked as Naruto walked forward. "Is Gaara dead? You squashed the rebellion before it could even get off the ground?"

Naruto sat down calmly in the plushly upholstered chair opposite Tsunade and sank back into the comfortable piece of furniture. "The problem has been taken care of," he said as Tsunade sat back down. "Konoha doesn't need to worry about Gaara."

Tsunade grinned and sat back down in her own high-backed leather chair. "Good, good, good," she said. "And how about you?" she asked, gesturing to Narutos clean clothes, clear complexion, and alert features. "You look good, great even. I thought that if you came back at all it would be as a crawling and emaciated thing. Damn you look so much like your father."

Naruto ignored the comment, still sensing that something was off. "Gaara was kind," he said. "He was kinder than I deserved, but nonetheless I took care of things and made my escape. Now, will I need to file any kind of report or am I free to go? I'm anxious to get back to Tayuya."

"Just a moment," said Tsunade, her tone darkening only just such that Naruto caught it. "I'm not going to order you to file a report, but I want to hear you say it. Tell me Gaara is dead."

Naruto's stomach twitched at the demand, but he forced himself to smile and looked Tsunade right in the eye. _I haven't threatened her,_ he thought to himself, suddenly realizing what felt off about the situation. _Oh well. I don't think that's really necessary._ "Gaara is dead," Naruto echoed Tsunade's words.

The Hokage's face broke into a smile and she pulled open one of the desk's big drawers, producing a small white bottle and two cups of a similar proportion. "Can I offer you a drink?" she asked. "I doubt Gaara kept you drunk with anything as fine as what we can produce here."

Naruto's smile diminished but didn't disappear. He leaned away without thinking and put up his hand. "No, but thank you," he said. "I appreciate the offer but I'm anxious to get myself home."

Tsunade's eyebrow rose up her forehead and she removed her hand from the white bottle. "As you wish," she said, her voice suddenly less easy than it had been before as Naruto got to his feet, still smiling. He began to walk towards the door and as he pulled it open, Tsunade called after him. "Is there _anything else_ I can get for you?" she asked, her tone falling noticeably now.

Naruto shook his head without looking at her. "Nothing thank you," he said, quickly stepping outside and shutting the door behind him.

Tsunade waited a moment, then stood up and walked over to the window. She nodded once, seemingly, then continued to stare outside in silence. For a long minute nothing happened, then the door to the office quietly clicked open and a tall Ninja in an ANBU uniform stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

"You called Tsunade-Sama?" asked the ANBU in a serpentine voice.

The Hokage nodded once. "Something is wrong," she said, raising her hand and running her index finger pensively over her lips. "I want you to watch Uzumaki Naruto and Tayuya for the next few days. Watch where they go, who they talk to, and if they try to send any communications out of the village. Alert me immediately to any suspicious activity."

"Do you expect trouble ma'am?" asked the agent.

Tsunade was silent for a moment then turned back to look out the window again. "No. No I don't… not from him," said the Hokage quickly. "But one in my position can never be too cautious."

SC

Naruto stood on his doorstep, having successfully avoided drawing any more attention to himself on the way home. He took a steadying breath and knocked, deciding it would be better to be let in and not risk frightening anyone. _God, I hope I didn't worry her too much._ Naruto thought. A chill lanced into his heart at the thought. _Who am I kidding,_ his face fell a bit though he knocked again. _She was probably glad to be rid of me…_

Naruto hadn't heard any footsteps inside though the latch clicked open and the door swung inwards as Tayuya stepped back and pulled it open. She looked up from the ground and stopped instantly as though she were a doll, staring at Naruto with red eyes and a streaked face. Her long red hair was uncombed and messy. All she wore was a large white T-shirt, one of Naruto's old ones, and a pair of white socks.

"Tayuya," Naruto said almost sheepishly, feeling his face flush. "I-"

The crack caught Naruto as off guard as Tayuya's hand slapped his cheek and turned his head to the side. Tayuya choked out one sob as she slapped him, and followed through by throwing herself against him before Naruto had the time to realize he'd been hit. "Bastard," Tayuya hiccupped, wrapping her arms around Naruto's chest and clenching his cloak so tightly in her fists her knuckles turned white. "Don't you think-" she cut herself off and broke into tears as Naruto embraced her.

"I'm home," said Naruto, kissing the top of her head and feeling his chest tighten as the corners of his eyes began to moisten. "I'm home."

"Bastard," Tayuya repeated, her breath shaking. "You're never going on one of those damn missions ever. Next time I'm going to say no and you're going to listen to me." She cried into his chest and he let her, making no motion to move her in one direction or another.

"I'm not going anywhere Swipes," Naruto said, trying to make his voice as comforting as he could.

Tayuya tightened her grip on him, though she wiped her face across the front of his cloak to dry some of the lines that had run down her face before she looked up at him, eyes glistening. She smiled happily, though tears immediately began to drip from her eyes again. "You've put on a little weight," she laughed weakly. "Here I've been sick over you and you've been sitting around somewhere getting fat."

Naruto laughed once and stroked her hair with one hand, holding her close to him with the other. "You were worried about me?" he asked, voice quivering as he looked at her, despite the wide grin on his face.

Tayuya stepped back just enough to pull him off the doorstep and inside with her. "Only a little," she said. "You know how big this damn house is at night when I'm the only one home. It gets pretty damn big," she said. "So from now on you don't get to go anywhere, understood?"

Naruto nodded. "Well," he drew out the word. "What if I took you with me?"

Tayuya dried her face on his shoulder again and cocked her head off to one side. "What?"

"I was thinking a vacation," said Naruto, the idea leaping into his mind with absolutely no forethought.

"You're kidding," Tayuya sighed, her tone suddenly exasperated. "Naruto you were gone for a month and you just came back and now you want to go on some goddamned undercover mission as fucking tourists? No, absolutely not. I-"

"No no no," said Naruto, smiling at her. "Not a vacation like last time. I mean a real one this time. No mission, just you and me and wherever you want to go. You've mentioned before that you want to travel. Well why not now?"

Tayuya looked at him dumbly for a moment. "You're serious?" she asked. "We can get out of Konoha for a while?"

"Yup," Naruto nodded, letting his arms fall, but taking her hand in his. "We could go anywhere or nowhere. It's anything you want to do. Kiri, Iwa, Suna, the sky's the limit and I think it would do us both a world of good to get as far from Konoha as we can for a while. Where would you like to go?"

Tayuya grinned slyly, her eyes still moist though there was more life in her face now. "South," she said. "There's a resort and a luxury hotel a few hours from here in a small village. I heard from Hanabi-chan that they have hot springs, a spa, and everything there. We could spend all day doing absolutely nothing, and all night being much more productive."

"Sounds wonderful," said Naruto, squeezing her hand. "We can stay for a week."

"Um," Tayuya started. "Wouldn't that be a little expensive? I mean just one day would be pricey. I'm not even sure they would let us do that."

"Nonsense," said Naruto. "We'll reserve a room at the hotel for a week and if we get tired of the spa I'm sure we'll find something else to do. And money is a total nonissue so don't even think of bringing it up," he smiled. "Now, pack your things and we'll leave in the morning."

"Naruto," said Tayuya, surprise evident in her voice though she was smiling happily. "This is a bit of a surprise don't you think."

Naruto stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Tayuya's waist. Pulling her up to him he kissed her and ran his free hand along her thigh, then up inside her shirt, up her stomach and over her breasts. Tayuya jumped with surprise, but didn't protest as Naruto moved both of them back and set her back against the wall. Her face washed over with pink and she caught herself sighing as Naruto's hand began working her breast in circles.

"Do you mind surprises?" asked Naruto as Tayuya wrapped her legs around his back.

Tayuya shook her head. "Not anymore I don't," she said.

"Good," said Naruto, running a hand over the back of her thigh and up the curve of her butt as she leaned against him. "So then how about you and I," he cleared his throat and playfully nodded twice back to the hallway, "head back to the bedroom and pack for the trip then." He smiled, thinking he could feel her spirits lifting.

"You should be so lucky," said Tayuya, taking hold of his collar and yanking him into another kiss. Breaking long enough to breathe, she grinned at him again. "There won't be any breaks for you."

* * *

AN: Howdy folks. I don't have any real news to speak of at this point concerning _Valediction_, but for all of my _Gambit_ readers, let me say that I've been really, really swamped, hence the no updates for, what is it now like a month…? Anyway, this is my last week of classes before Spring Break, meaning that updates should start again on Wednesday the 18th. Sorry to keep you all waiting so long.

Till next time!

...

God damn Fable II's theme music is catchy... playing over and over in my head.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven – Weight

"Patrols have been doubled throughout the city," said the ANBU in the bird mask, holding a small sheet of paper in his hand as he read. "As per your orders, Tsunade-Sama, we've brought in an additional two hundred operatives from the other districts and stationed them at key points throughout Konoha and the surrounding countryside. Anyone who wants to get in or out will definitely be seen."

Tsunade sat at her desk in the dark, hunched over her desk with her elbows resting in front of her face and her hands folded in front of her face. "Good," she said, barely breathing the word. "Make sure that you station more guards around the palace than anywhere else. I don't want anyone coming within ten miles of this place without every ANBU in Konoha knowing about it."

The ANBU bowed in acknowledgement, then walked forward and set the report on Tsunade's desk. "If I may ask," said the ANBU cautiously, recapturing Tsunade's attention, "do you expect a threat to materialize soon?"

The Hokage looked up with a scowl, her mood darkening further as deep lines creased their way into her forehead and crawled outwards from her eyes. "There are several possibilities," she said. "But no, I do not expect a direct threat to appear anytime soon. I just want to make sure that no risk has the chance to materialize. Now, I believe I also asked you to send an agent to keep tabs on Uzumaki Naruto and Tayuya. What do you have to report there?"

The ANBU cleared his throat as the wind outside picked up and made the large windows set in the walls creak. "Yes, as for Naruto-Sama, no suspicious activity has been observed in the three days since he took his leave. It seems he and his wife have simply been enjoying a second honeymoon."

Tsunade waited for a minute to respond, turning her head and staring out the window. "Hmm," she murmured to herself. "It just doesn't feel right."

"What is it Tsunade-Sama?" asked the ANBU. "Do you think Naruto-Sama might be planning something?"

The Hokage's eyes snapped to the agent and she glared at him. "I don't ever recall even implying that I expected trouble from Naruto," said Tsunade, firmly and coldly. "If I were you I would watch my tongue from now on."

"Apologies," said the ANBU, bowing low quickly. "I did not mean to imply that Naruto-Sama might be planning a coup. I-" The agent immediately silenced himself as Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"You will be quiet now," said Tsunade, her voice steady though she grasped her wrists with her hands. "If I so much as think I hear you or anyone else mutter that anyone, especially Naruto, is staging a coup or a defection or anything I will not hesitate to have you executed for sedition and treason. Am I clear?"

The ANBU officer nodded immediately and confirmed the order with a grunt.

"Furthermore," said Tsunade. "Should any rumors of defection arise, anyone found to be favorable of the idea will be executed on the spot and without question. "You're young, so I'll look kindly on you this once and spare your life. But forget even about the idea of a coup… You're free to go."

"Ma'am," said the ANBU, "understood." He quickly turned on his heel and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him with a quiet slam.

Tsunade exhaled a deep breath and sank back into her chair as the soft patter of rain began to echo in the room. Water splashed the windows and rolled down the glass like long, black fingers. There was no lightning, no thunder, and as Tsunade got to her feet and paced to the windows, the streaks of rain left shadows on her face that deepened in the lines of anxiety that spread across her forehead and from the corners of her mouth. Her left hand began to tremble and she quickly grabbed it with her right.

SC

"Oh god," Tayuya breathed, her voice airy and light.

The room was dimly lit; the only light emanating from the shaded lamp in the corner of the posh hotel bedroom was all but mute. The uncurtained window let in the midnight black of the outside, and let the streaks of rain tracing their way down the glass cast long shadows into the room and across Tayuya's naked back when the occasional lightning bolt flashed in the sky. When the lightning did burst beyond the window, it threw Tayuya's silhouette across Naruto's chest and face, and across the metal bars of the lavish bed's headboard.

"God," Tayuya breathed again, rocking herself back and forth and oscillating slowly up and down, her knees holding her weight and leaving furrows in the thick comforter on either side of Naruto. She rested her forearms on his shoulders but reached behind him and curled her fingers around the bars of the headboard.

Naruto sat with his back to the headboard and held her waist, moving his hands as she moved and bending his neck forward to kiss and suck on Tayuya's neck. He whispered little nothings against her skin, marveling through eyes barely open at how the thin sheen of sweat she wore made her glisten, awestruck by her shape as she leaned her head back to give him better access to her neck. Naruto leaned forward and kissed her collar, running his hands up her back as he felt her breasts slide up against his chest while she moved up off of him, then let herself back down on him to have him fill her again.

Tayuya's grip began to tighten around the bars and her breathing began to quicken. She moved no faster, but began to make her strokes more precise, changing her approach from broader and sweeping motions to more shallow and targeted oscillations. She groaned as Naruto's fervor intensified and he planted love bites across her collar and neck, moving his hands around her sides and holding her breasts, massaging and playing with her.

"Oh shit," Tayuya gasped as a spasm ran down her back. "God, Naruto…" she closed her eyes and let go of the bars, instead taking hold of Naruto's hair and pulling his head forward against her as she ground down on him. "Fuck," she muttered, still keeping her movements slow and fluid, but feeling the muscles in her back and thighs begin to tauten.

Naruto grunted once as she jerked, then smiled and kissed the pit of her neck. "Getting a little tight," he whispered, his voice trembling as he worked her breasts with his big hands and began thrusting his hips opposite her: pulling down when she moved up and pushing up as she came down.

Tayuya could only sigh in response and run her fingers through his hair, muttering his name once in her mind. Naruto grinned to himself and groaned as Tayuya began to quicken her movements and breathe in quick gasps and quiet moans. "Shit," she whispered, her arms going stiff for the briefest moment as she drew in a hissing breath and plunged down on Naruto, grinding back and forth instead of coming back up off him. She clenched her hands in his hair and groaned as her head rolled back.

Naruto gripped her breasts a little tighter and rolled her in his hands before tracing his fingers around her back and strengthening her movements with his own pushes and pulls. Tayuya gasped several times and moaned once or twice, bending more forward and pressing her lips against Naruto's, kissing him as he greedily accepted her. She huffed several breaths and slowed, beginning to come back up off Naruto again and sliding back down on him without saying a word.

She opened her eyes a very little and let her mouth drop open as she smiled at Naruto. He grinned in response and stroked her back as she slowly came to a rest, breathing deeply and staring at him with eyes half glazed over. Held up by Naruto's hands, she waited for several moments before moving again, and only then because Naruto slowly let her down onto her back on the bed and rolled on top of her, grinning playfully as he held her wrists against the bed and hovered above her.

"Naruto," she whispered in surprise and elation, shifting beneath him and pushing her chest up against him as she wrapped one leg around his lower back. "You haven't had this kind of energy in forever."

"We haven't been out of Konoha in a long time," he whispered back, leaning in and kissing her neck as Tayuya sighed beneath him.

"We should do this more often," she giggled, pretending to struggle a little.

Both of them looked up as three hard knocks echoed against the suite's front door and someone on the other side called "room service!" Tayuya and Naruto sighed in unison and Naruto let his forehead come to rest on Tayuya's collar. "I guess the 'do not disturb' sign isn't prominent enough," he said almost jokingly. He had stuck it brazenly to the center of the suite's door with packing tape.

"At least the drinks are here," Tayuya whispered as Naruto grudgingly rolled over and got to his feet. She watched him grinning as he sifted through the discarded pile of clothing laying on the floor for his robe, a plain white but comfortable thing with no distinguishing markings other than the hotel's insignia on the chest.

"What did you order?" she asked.

"Château Mouton Rothschild and a plate of blackberries and apples," he winked at her before exiting the room and leaving her lying on her side on the bed.

"Don't know what I did to deserve this," she whispered, grinning widely and shifting to lie on her back. Tayuya folded her hands beneath her head and looked at the ceiling, thinking about nothing in particular, but simply basking in how wonderful her world had suddenly become. She listened to Naruto opening the door in the living room and carry on a short conversation during which the hotel employee apologized for the weather preventing the guests from going on the numerous nature hikes in the surrounding country. _We've found other things to do,_ Tayuya snickered to herself at the same moment Naruto said it aloud in the other room.

The Kunoichi blushed and a moment later Naruto entered the room in his robe, carrying a platter of fruit, a bottle of wine, and a single crystal glass. Tayuya shifted and got up. Putting herself between Naruto and the bed she stepped up to him and kissed him for a long time over the platter. "Only one glass?" she said quizzically.

Naruto nodded with a smile. "Wine in general has lost its appeal to me," he said. "But I know this is your favorite vintage."

"Yep," Tayuya nodded, gesturing out to the living room. "How about we eat on the couch?"

"Swipes," said Naruto with a mischievous smirk. "We've already eaten on the couch… or at least I have."

Tayuya smirked back at him and lead him into the living room anyway. _The bed is a lost cause,_ she thought, _and the sofa is plenty big enough anyway._

The living room was about half again the size of the bedroom, occupied with few large pieces of furniture: two comfortable reading chairs on opposite sides of a coffee table, a sofa facing out a pair of glass doors, and a table with two dining chairs against one wall. The elegant decorations hanging from the walls however, paintings and tapestries prevented the room from feeling sparse.

Tayuya sat herself down on the couch, and turned to Naruto as he sat next to her and set the silver tray on the low table in front of them. "So," she began, not unkindly, before Naruto could say a word. "What prompted this sudden abstinence?" she giggled, nodding to the single wine glass on the platter. "Or do I really want to know?" She reached back and rested her elbow on the back of the sofa and supported her head with her knuckles. _I'd better be a little careful,_ she thought through the pleasant fog which had begun to fill her mind. _If the sex stays this good I'm never going to be able to speak straight again_.

Naruto pursed his lips and leaned back on the couch as Tayuya sat up a little straighter. "What makes you think that glass isn't mine?" he asked, trying to sound playful.

Tayuya rolled her head around once, popping her neck. "You never liked Rothschild," she said matter of factly, "always called it a 'sissy-wine.' Besides, you don't like blackberries or apples, but I happen to love everything you ordered from room service meaning you're not planning on drinking _or_ eating anything. I just wanna know what's going through your head, that's all."

Naruto sighed, picked up one of the blackberries and held it between his thumb and index finger, looking it over for a moment as Tayuya watched him closely. A knot began to form in the pit of the Kunoichi's stomach when Naruto refrained from speaking for over a minute. "Naruto," she said, overlapping tones of worry and vexation hanging in her voice. "You're ruining the mood a bit."

"Sorry," Naruto mumbled as Tayuya leaned over and let herself down against him. The blond Ninja readjusted and pulled Tayuya in against his chest and held her with one arm. He offered her the blackberry, but the Kunoichi only grinned and opened her mouth.

"Be that way then," said Naruto smiling as he playfully set the berry against his wife's lower lip. Tayuya quickly moved forward and took the blackberry between her teeth, popping the delicate sacks of juice and splattering the front of Naruto's finger with the liquid. She rolled her eyes to look up at him as she licked the juice from his finger with the tip of her tongue.

Gently Naruto ran his free hand through Tayuya's crimson hair and rubbed her scalp with his fingers. "Alright," he said, half mumbling, "I'm at a loss here."

"Hmm?" Tayuya paused, "Last time you were at a loss was when you were trying to decide if you wanted to propose to me."

Naruto shook his head once. "There was never any question about that… No, it's…"

Tayuya made herself smile though the action was not overly difficult, and leaned against Naruto fully, taking his hand and sighing. "It won't be so painful if you just spit it out," she said. "You're not going to say anything that'll be able to shock me."

Naruto took a steadying breath and looked out the big glass doors at the pouring rain. The steaks of water running down the crystalline frame were soothing and cool. The night here in the hotel was almost a perfect copy of the night he had found Tayuya, barely more than a broken body clinging to life in the forest between Konoha and the Valley of the End. It had been raining then too when he and Sasuke, having together come to the decision to fight againstItachi as comrades, found Tayuya and at Naruto's behest wrenched the massive tree off her that had very nearly broken the Kunoichi in two.

Again Naruto took a breath, distracting himself with memories of the days before the 'Unification' War even as he spoke. "Gaara is alive," he said quickly. "And he's planning to assassinate Tsunade."

Tayuya twitched in Naruto's arms, but she didn't interrupt as he went on. "When I was sent after Gaara," Naruto continued, "he captured me and took me to his headquarters. After … some time, he informed me of his plan to take out Tsunade and then let me go. Gaara hasn't changed a bit since the war. He's still as cunning and clever as always and has his exact plan to kill her laid out step by step. Knowing him he has more than a hundred contingencies in reserve for every possible scenario…"

Tayuya nodded autonomously. "So Tsunade _is_ going to die after all?" she asked.

"Yes, there's no question of _if_ about it," Naruto pursed his lips.

"Does he know what that will do?" asked the Kunoichi. "Naruto, I never thought I'd say this, but killing Tsunade might be worse than having her around. This whole empire hinges on the empress. If she's killed and no one steps up to fill the power vacuum everything will collapse and we'll slide straight back into war."

Naruto didn't answer.

"But Gaara of course thought of that," said Tayuya incredulously. "Didn't he?"

"I'm the most natural choice to take over for her, Gaara said," muttered Naruto. "He wants me to step in after she's killed and become Hokage."

Tayuya paused for a moment before sitting up, still holding onto Naruto's hand. "What's the problem then?" she asked. "You'd be an incredible emperor. Everyone in Konoha already loves you. You're their hero and no one would think twice about Tsunade being killed and you taking her place."

"Are you listening to me?" asked Naruto, his voice trembling as his hands began to shake. "Gaara is going to kill Tsunade and I'm going to be Hokage. I'm her heir. I'm in checkmate here."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Tayuya said as her voice stiffened but remained comforting. "Why don't you want to be Hokage?"

"Why would I want to be?" he asked. "Why in the fucking world would I want to be emperor?" Naruto asked, his whole frame beginning to shake. "There's no sense in it."

"You'd be better than Tsunade."

"Anyone would be better than Tsunade," Naruto huffed. "I'm not cut out for the job and I don't want the job. I only took the position as her heir because it let me live quietly with you, knowing full well that Tsunade was going to outlive me by centuries… now that there's almost no doubt that she's a dead woman, I don't think I can do this… I don't want to run the world."

Tayuya thought for a long minute, letting herself back down on Naruto and closing her eyes, enjoying the warmth he gave off. "Do you want to know what I really think?" she asked, tone unreadable.

Naruto shook his head 'no,' but answered, "I always want to know exactly what you think."

"I think," said the Kunoichi, speaking past the lump in her throat, "that you're the best thing for the world at this point. You might not want to be Hokage, but to be honest I don't think it's really your call. Naruto, I love you, but you're being very selfish. You're not thinking of everyone you could help."

"I don't need all of them," answered Naruto bitterly and quickly.

"But they need you," said Tayuya just as fast.

"Why?" asked Naruto.

"-because at this point in time you're the only one who can pull things out of the mess they're in. Maybe if you could find someone else more capable than yourself who the people would readily accept than you could get away with not stepping up but good luck with that."

Naruto shirked to the side and stood up, pacing forward and staring out the glass door as his breath appeared in opaque rings of fog on the glass. "I really don't want to be Hokage," he said. "I served in the war, isn't that enough?"

"Maybe not." said the Kunoichi, her voice heating up as her old temper began to flare. She sat up straight on the couch, shoulders back and braced. "This whole goddamned empire is being held together by fear and tyranny. People in the poorer villages are starving to death in the streets. Anyone who stands up against Tsunade disappears under one of ANBU's black bags and is never heard from again. _Innocent people_ are being publicly executed for crimes they never committed. People are being killed for even hinting that they want their liberties back. How can you sit by and not do something?"

"I am doing something!" Naruto shouted. "I'm letting the old bitch die so that things and burn down and something better can grow back in place of this fucking hell Tsunade's built."

"That's not enough Naruto," barked Tayuya. "You can't just let the world go to hell. You're a goddamned part of it whether you like it or not. I'm part of it too you know!"

"Why are you doing this!?" Naruto burst out angrily, turning around. "Why are you so damn insistent? Why can't you just let me leave things the way they are?"

"Because I want this baby to grow up in a world where she doesn't have to be afraid!" Tayuya shouted.

"And I-" Naruto nearly screamed back before his voice failed and he fell silent instantly, staring at Tayuya dumbly. "Baby?" he muttered. "What baby?"

Tayuya's face broke and tears began to well in the corners of her eyes. "Our baby," she said, holding back hiccupping sobs. She began to cry. "Naruto, I'm not going to let anyone, not even you, stand between my baby and the freedom to grow up happyily."

* * *

AN: Well there you have it, chapter seven of _Valediction_. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Well I'm a little short on time so I'll see you all later! Later folks!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight – Revolution in the Air

"Baby," muttered Naruto, not realizing the word had again escaped him. "I'm a father? We're parents?"

"To a soon-to-be beautiful little girl," said Tayuya, slumping back into the couch with a choked sob. "Naruto I found out I was pregnant the day before you came back and went to the doctor… The only reason I could even get in was because I was your wife and even then the nurse had to turn away an old woman who had an appointment scheduled already… The baby so far is perfectly healthy and on track… It nearly killed me to think they'd grow up without a father, but …" Tayuya held back another wave of tears to speak clearly. "I'd rather they grow up without a father than in this hellhole of an empire!"

Now the tears flowed freely. Tayuya cried and leaned forward, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees. She stopped and started again several times as though she were going to say something but the words never came. Naruto also, not just his wife, found tears welling in his eyes. His legs weakened and he quickly sat down on the floor, opposite Tayuya and lowered his head.

"It will make you happy then?" asked Naruto without looking up. His voice was weak and Naruto's limit was fast approaching. "It will make you happy if I become the Hokage and try to fix everything Tsunade's fucked up so bad?"

The red-haired Kunoichi shook her head, looking up at her husband and drying her eyes with her hand, though another wave of tears just spilled over and cascaded down her cheeks immediately after, leaving new red and salty streaks. "No, because it will make you miserable" she said. "Naruto if you're not happy it will tear me apart. But I want our baby to have a chance at a free life…"

Naruto stood up, not reaching to dry the wet lines traced down his hardened face. He walked around to stand in front of Tayuya and bent down in a quick but fluid motion. With no hesitation he reached up and took her face in his hands, leaned forward, and pressed his lips to her ear. "Never – ever – think, not for a second," he whispered, his voice smooth but ripe with an underlying maelstrom of emotion, "that doing something to protect you," he paused and set his right hand against her abdomen, "or my family, is a duty I'll consider a burden." His voice, still even, took on a new timbre, cold but not unkind or unloving by any stretch. "The next time you see me, I'll be the Hokage building a world in which my, or any, family can live peacefully."

Tayuya reached up and grabbed Naruto's golden hair in her fists and kissed him, sucking in a deep breath and closing her eyes as she pulled him against her. Naruto kissed her back and ran his hands around her neck and up through her hair. "I'm sorry it had to come to this," said the Kunoichi, breaking away just long enough to say the words as Naruto leaned into her and braced his hands against the back of the couch for support.

"Don't be," Naruto whispered, pulling back and looking into Tayuya's eyes.

Tayuya didn't let go of him. "I know this is the last thing you want to do…"

"No," Naruto cut her off. "No, seeing you hurting is the last thing I want to do. I'm never going to let anything hurt you again, not even me." Naruto stood up, forcing himself to smile and taking Tayuya's hands in his as he did. "I'll call this penance for being such a pain in the ass for the last few years."

Tayuya shook her head and smiled a weak smile. "Don't do that," she said. "You don't have anything you need to make up for."

Naruto looked down and away, turning quickly and walking back into the bedroom, leaving Tayuya alone for a moment in the living room. After a brief silence the blond Ninja returned to the main room, dressed in a cloak identical to the one Gaara had given him as a gift. He stood quietly in front of Tayuya as the Kunoichi remained seated on the couch, her hands folded in her lap.

"Dressed like that," said Tayuya, a little grin, little but genuine on her lips, "I don't see how anything could go wrong. You look great."

"I suppose," said Naruto, taking a step back. "I'm going to leave now… this way I'll already be in Konoha by the time my nerve begins to fail and I won't have the option to back out."

"Be careful," said the Kunoichi, her voice stronger now. She got up, taking the blanket laid across the back of the couch and draping it over her shoulders as she stepped up to Naruto and kissed him again. "I love you," she whispered against his lips. "Thank you."

Naruto brought his hands up and rested them on Tayuya's hips as he kissed her one more time. "For you," he said, "it's my pleasure. Make sure you're as careful as you can be until I get back."

"When can I expect news?"

"Three days from now is when Gaara will make his move," said Naruto. "I'll wait in Konoha in secret until then so as not to attract attention with your absence. I'll send Sakura for you in four days."

Tayuya nodded and Naruto smiled again, hiding his feelings so well Tayuya could not tell if the smile was genuine or not. Then without any hesitation or even a look back the blond Ninja turned for the door and quickly crossed the living room. Tayuya didn't say a word as her husband opened the door and stepped outside, closing the door behind him. She had already said everything there was to say tonight. It was all up to Naruto now.

SC

The rain didn't let up when Naruto left the hotel and disappeared instantly into the woods some hundred meters from the front door. Quite to the contrary, the rain began to pour harder, drenching the ground and the canopy in the forest in torrential sheets of water, the likes of which Naruto hadn't seen since the Unification War took him to the Water Country at the height of a monsoon. As he ran the raindrops, many the size of marbles, splattered off his cape and trailed behind him like the tail of a comet.

The Uzumaki found himself needing to steady his footing with chakra as the ground of the forest, usually firm and packed dirt, began to give way and slosh around at his stride. The dirt mixed with the saturating water into a soupy mixture inches deep on top of which Naruto had to run as though he were flitting atop a lake.

_If this weather doesn't let up_, Naruto mused, distracting himself from the task soon to be at hand, _large portions of this forest could be completely washed away._ For all the rain and even the occasional hailstone that dropped like a stone to the ground, not one lightning bolt flashed in the sky. The only sounds were Naruto's cat-like footsteps and the loud splashing of the storm's raindrops. _At least this storm should make getting into Konoha unnoticed a little easier,_ thought Naruto, only now beginning to wonder exactly what kind of security awaited him in his home village.

_I suppose I'll have to take one of the side gates,_ thought the Ninja, _and hope ANBU doesn't have any reason to stop me…_

Time began to lose all meaning as the sky overhead remained as black as pitch in the storm. Even when Naruto knew it should be fast approaching morning (he had been taking a roundabout path back to Konoha through the forest and avoiding paths in hopes of dodging any attention) the canopy of the forest stayed as black as it had been at midnight.

_This is one hell of a storm,_ thought Naruto as he broke into the clearing outside of Konoha and stopped on the edge of the forest. The entirety of the plain before him looked like a waterlogged marsh. He had seen it similar to this only once before, when he was only a junior officer in ANBU and a freak typhoon rolled in from the ocean to the south. This however was unlike anything he'd ever seen before and as Naruto took off sprinting across the over-saturated ground he was forced not only to cast a genjutsu to mask his shape in shadows but an additional jutsu to allow him to run across the water without disturbing its surface.

Passing through the invisible wall of chakra which surrounded the village and acted as an early warning system, Naruto for an instant cancelled all of the jutsus surrounding him, then reactivated them once he was safely inside the net. To anyone less than a chief security agent monitoring the field, Naruto would have registered on the instruments as nothing more than a small animal, a feral cat or a dog maybe, nothing arousing too much suspicion.

The Uzumaki reached the base of the high wall and leapt atop it in a single bound, landing atop one of the guard towers dispersed along the stone length. Perching like a raven he took a moment to survey the city. Directly below him was one of the poorer residential districts. Not that all of the residents were not growing more and more poor under Tsunade's oppression, but this zone, populated by people who had lacked sufficient resources before the Unification, was especially effected.

A dozen blocks in front of Naruto stood the newly erected police station and ANBU headquarters. Taking up two whole city blocks it was an imposing structure jutting ten stories into the air, and just beyond the façade, appearing black in the early morning storm, Naruto saw where he would wait and hide, and old and derelict apartment structure, condemned and scheduled soon to be torn down to make way for an office of Imperial Magistrates. Naruto recalled exactly where he had stayed in the complex many years ago. It had been his home while he attended the Ninja Academy, though now it serve as a refuge for dozens of homeless civilians who refused to go to the workhouses.

Leaping down into the streets below, Naruto cast a very quick and simply, but effective, jutsu on his cloak to turn it a dull and dreary brown color mixed with faded tan, the color worn by ronin, warriors left jobless and without masters by the Unification War. Ronin, while respected by no one within the government were the most overlooked class within the Empire, allowing Naruto perfect cover. The Ninja pulled his hood over his face, bowed his head to look at the ground in a typical gesture of humility and/or shame, and began to wander the streets, making his way towards the condemned building.

Along his way, Naruto met no one. No civilians were out in the streets, and no ANBU officers thought to stop the lone figure trudging through the mud. Naruto's only companion was the sound of the rain splattering into the muck around his feet. He ducked under the ramshackle gate meant to section off the apartment complex, crossed the lawn, and entered through one of the empty arches in the wall.

Inside it was dark and smelled of wood rot. Here and there people sat with their back to the walls or stretched out along the floor on blankets. No one looked up at Naruto as he entered. He walked to an empty spot behind the old service desk in the main building's entryway, and sat down in silence away from everyone. Naruto pulled from his cloak a single soldier pill, a good Tsunade had outlawed months ago for fear the pill would hurt the price of food throughout the empire and thusly the tax revenue, and ate it quickly. Then he waited, and he thought.

SC

For the next seventy hours Naruto sat unmoving, as still as a petrified tree. People came and went in the complex about him, though none approached him. The only living thing to pay Naruto more than a passing glance was a family of mice that scurried about his feet as the night of the third day fell, and by then it had come time for Naruto to go.

Moving with such caution and care, Naruto stood up as to not alert the single mouse searching for food beside his boot. When Naruto took a step, the mouse suddenly realized what it had perceived as inanimate was very much alive, and darted away into a hole in the wall. The rain had continued for the duration of Naruto's stay in the complex and as he stepped outside, he saw that Konoha's sewers and gutters had been mostly overwhelmed. Filth and sewage was backing up out of the drains in the road and washing down the middle of the street in the flow of water.

_It's a good thing Konoha is built along the slope of a shallow hill,_ Naruto noted as he made his way out into the streets just as the bells in the distant clock tower began to sound the chimes they rang before announcing the hour. _If it weren't all this shit would be piling up in the streets instead of washing down the road towards the gates._

Naruto looked up at the Hokage's palace, a grand edifice he could make out through the rain even from where he stood. He began to run, not caring at this point who saw or what they thought. The deed would be done and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it now. The bells in the tower began to ring the time. It was midnight. A siren began to sound in the distance. It came from the palace.

The first stroke of the hammer striking the bells found Naruto moving like a ghost through the night towards the palace. On the second stroke of the bells lightning flashed in the sky overhead and Naruto leapt over the illuminated and whitewashed wall separating him from the palace grounds. On the third stroke he landed and a massive crash thunder shook the marble walkway under Naruto's feet so violently the Ninja thought the stone might split.

As the fifth stroke sounded in the distance, five ANBU officers appeared in the courtyard around Naruto, weapon's drawn as they moved in for the kill. The thunder continued to rumble and shake the ground even as it faded into the sound of pouring rain. _It doesn't matter now,_ Naruto thought, reaching into his cloak. As the sixth stroke of the bells sounded Naruto flung out his arms and three of the ANBU died before they could realize their skulls had been split cleanly open by Naruto's shuriken.

The seventh found Naruto behind one of the remaining ANBU, the blond's hand protruding through his victim's chest, and on the eighth Naruto felt the sting of metal slicing into his forearm a he blocked the attack from the last remaining ANBU officer. The Uzumaki moved right through the pain, jerking his bloody hand from the dead officer's heart as a column of crimson spat from the entry and exit wounds. Naruto slammed his palm into the man's mask, shattering the bone white disguise and snapping the ANBU's head back as his neck broke, leaving the blood from the ruptured heart spattered across the dead man's face.

On the ninth tolling all five ANBU lay dead in gathering pools of already diluted blood and Naruto was darting for the doors to the complex. He leapt up the large wooden steps onto the grand porch and found the doors already unlocked. They swung open as Naruto pressed his hand against them and pressed with almost no effort. Inside the main foyer it quickly became obvious that Gaara had already been on the move. Dead Ninja were scattered about the room, broken bodies crumpled against the walls and tossed over furniture.

The tenth, then the eleventh toll sounded as Naruto sprinted up the stairs, hands behind him, cloak flailing in the wind of his wake. He no longer ran, he bounded through the hallway as fast as his legs would carry him, turning the corner into the hallway which would lead him to Tsunade's office, Naruto saw just how busy Gaara must have been. With the sound of the siren still screaming all around him, Naruto saw the twenty dead Ninja and ANBU, or remnants thereof, scattered throughout the hall. In a flash he appeared before the door to Tsunade's office, ripped from its hinged and laying in ruin against the jam.

With a fierce kick on the twelfth tolling he kicked in what remained of the door and stepped into the office. Inside were Tsunade and Gaara. The once Kazekage stooped, kneeling before Tsunade, his face red with blood running from the deep slash that cut from one side of his forehead to the other. Gaara's left arm hung useless at his side, dislocated, a fragment of white bone protruded from the joint. Additionally, Gaara's left knee was snapped backwards and his left hip was broken and twisted, leaving him to bow before Tsunade.

The old woman, still looking as young as she did sixty years ago, towered over the dethroned Kazekage. She panted heavily and numerous bruises blotched her otherwise flawless complexion. Both she and Gaara turned to look at Naruto as he entered into the dim room, lit only by the lamp on Tsunade's desk.

"Naruto?" said Tsunade an edge of surprise in her voice.

Gaara spat, mostly blood but some saliva also, on Tsunade's shoe. "I won't apologize," said Gaara. "I will not go quietly into the-"

Tsunade jerked forward as Naruto watched, slamming her white-knuckled fist into Gaara's face. The Kazekage died instantly as his skull caved inward in a small splatter of blood and bony fragments. The body slumped off to one side as Tsunade followed through on the strike, and nearly stumbled with its completion.

_She's out of energy,_ thought Naruto.

"Heard the sirens did you?" asked the Hokage.

Naruto remained stationary and silent.

"Rushed in to save the day, right?" asked Tsunade. "Well you're a little late. Our old friend overestimated himself."

Naruto looked up from his butchered friend and locked his eyes on Tsunade's. "No, he didn't," he said. "And I'm here to make good on a promise I made years ago."

The Hokage looked at her heir dumbly for a minute, then her face twisted into an angry sneer. "You bastard," she muttered. "After all I've done for you."

Naruto exploded forward with energy he had never felt before. The carpet beneath his feet tore up from the floor as he crossed the room in two long strides and barreled into the Hokage, knocking her to the ground. The two of them rolled and slammed into the wall, Naruto on top, straddling Tsunade's abdomen and leaning over her with his fingers locked around her throat. His elbows locked, Naruto forced all his weight down onto Tsunade's neck.

As she kicked and writhed beneath him, the exhausted Tsunade grabbed at Naruto's wrists but couldn't break his grip. Both Ninja felt as Tsunade's windpipe snapped. Naruto's grip suddenly had more freedom to tighten as it did, and Naruto closed his fingers all the more, every muscle in his forearms bulging like hoses as he strangled her. Tsunade's eyes began to roll back in her head, tears dripped from her eyes and sweat broke out all over her forehead as a death via asphyxia came nearer and nearer.

Naruto's face screwed itself into a feral snarl, though no sound escaped him. He lifted up Tsunade's head by her neck and slammed her back down onto the ground, then again, then again beating the back of her head on the floor to speed her passing. The veins in his neck bulged and the tendons in his wrists threatened to tear out of Naruto's skin as he strangled the life from the Empress. He wouldn't look in her eyes though.

A moment later Tsunade stopped moving. Her eyes were white orbs and sweat dripped from her every pore. The old woman's tongue had flopped to one side in her wide-open mouth, and her fingertips were red with the blood which dripped from the wounds she'd carved into Naruto's arms and shoulders. The old woman's genjutsu faded and her youthful appearance evaporated with it, leaving the corpse in Naruto's hands a withered and ostensibly fragile thing.

Naruto, still looking down at the corpse, began to ease his grip until he pulled his fingers from her throat, out of the troughs he'd left in her neck. He took a deep breath and looked away, slumping over his victim for a minute before he could muster the strength to stand. As the wounds the old woman's fingernails had carved into his skin healed in seconds Naruto walked away from Tsunade and out of the office, leaving the two corpses behind.

"Naruto!!" someone's voice shouted, a woman's voice.

Naruto turned and saw the familiar pink-haired Kunoichi running up the hall towards him. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were not pressed. In her right hand she carried a short sword and in her left was a half undone scroll. "Naruto what the hell is going on? I heard the sirens and came running? What happened here?"

Naruto paused, looking down at the floor. A silence passed between the two Ninja for a moment.

"Naruto?" probed Sakura.

"There was an attack on the palace, and the Empress is dead," said Naruto bluntly. "Assassinated."

Sakura gasped, dropping the sword and the scroll, putting her hands over her mouth. "Who?" was all she could ask.

"Gaara survived," said Naruto. "He came and attacked Tsunade. Now they're both dead."

It was Sakura's turn to stand in silence for a moment, still holding her hands before her face, letting her long flowing sleeves drape in front of her green dress. "My god," muttered the Kunoichi. "Naruto, are you-"

"I'm fine," Naruto preempted, his tone reserved and his voice quiet.

"Well," said Sakura, her own voice beginning to even out. "I take it you killed all the terrorists? The threat is over?"

Naruto nodded once.

"Alright," said the Kunoichi. "I suppose you know that… as of now since you were Tsunade's heir… you're acting Hokage. You're the Emperor."

Naruto only nodded again.

Sakura walked forward, passed Naruto and over several of the bodies in her way, and peered into the Hokage's office. Immediately she pulled her head from the doorway and covered her mouth with one hand. "Alright," she took a steadying breath. "There's a lot of work to be done now. Naruto, what are your orders?"

_My orders_, Naruto thought. _My orders? _He fell silent again and stared at the floor.

"Naruto… Sama?" asked Sakura.

"Find Kakashi," said Naruto. "Tell him to report to me as soon as he can. I'll have orders for the both of you once he's here."

"Sir," acknowledged Sakura. "Will that be all?"

"Yes," said the Uzumaki flatly. "Please hurry."

Sakura bowed and turned, jogging past Naruto and disappearing around a corner. Naruto waited for a moment, looking nowhere in particular until he lifted his eyes and saw through the shattered door to the Hokage's office that there was no rain on the windows. He shifted and began walking down the hall towards the main foyer until he came to the top of the huge staircase in the entryway of the palace. One stair at a time he walked down the stairs and across the marble floor to the doors. He reached out and pulled them open.

Outside, the rain had stopped, leaving the air filled with the scent of dirt and grass. Closing his eyes Naruto took a deep breath, filling his nose with the smell, and exhaled. He opened his clear blue eyes again and the very corner of his lip turned up as he looked out and up into the sky.

"Now," he said as a smile spread across his face. He could make out low clouds in the dark sky, patches reflecting some of the light from the city, and imagined them to be in the shape of Tayuya's face. "Where from here?"

* * *

AN: I think I might faint… I actually finished a story. Ok, maybe it's not that big of a deal lol, but this is the first complete, non-oneshot, story I have on . Maybe I should add and epilogue. I don't know. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you liked it drop me a review and let me know what you thought worked well, or didn't work well.

Thanks all, Peace!

– 50calibercaos


	9. Epilogue

AN: A few people thought an epilogue was in order and I would tend to agree with them. Though, to answer a few questions, I don't think there will be a sequel to _Valediction_. I just have no idea where I would take it. I mean the Empress is dead, Naruto won, and as long as there are strong people willing to fight for their freedoms, no other tyrant would have a chance to seize power.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Epilogue

"You're going to do great," Tayuya said reassuringly, standing in front of her husband in the small, but well lit and comfortably decorated preparation room. "Believe me, I can see it everywhere. You're going to knock 'em all dead."

Naruto sighed uneasily as Tayuya gave him another quick onceover and straightened out a few ruffles in his heavy red white cloak. "If I had known this was going to be part of the job I never would have gone through with this plan. Seriously, why do I have to be the one to do all this? Isn't this the kind of thing I pay Sakura to handle?"

Tayuya grinned and smoothed out Naruto's shirt, making sure that none of the doeskin-colored cloth bunched up under the weight of the flame decorated cloak. "Now what kind of Emperor would you be if you didn't address your people on an issue this important? It would be fine if someone else made the announcement, but it will mean so much more coming from the 'champion of Konoha,' the 'defender of liberty.'"

"That's just it," said Naruto, resigning himself to his fate and smiling. "In another few days I'm not going to be Emperor, just Hokage. We should have all of the other appointees there too."

The Kunoichi laughed once and stepped back, surveying her work. "You look magnificent," she said, eyeing him greedily. "I think you just don't want to be the only one up there in front of all those people."

"Hell no I don't," said Naruto. "You heard what Kakashi said. There are supposed to be more than fifty thousand people at the speech today. The entire courtyard is going to be packed. Half the streets in Konoha will be overflowing and the rest will be damn near full. Who in their right mind would want to give a speech in front of those kinds of numbers?"

With a giggle Tayuya stepped forward and kissed Naruto gently, trying not to leave and lipstick on his face just before his big moment. "Don't tell me you're afraid to mess up and say something silly?"

"Of course not," Naruto retorted, blushing only very slightly as someone knocked on the door. "Come in."

The door opened and a tall man with silver scarecrow-like hair poked his head in the room. "Ready Naruto-Sama?" asked Kakashi, his usually dejected monotone replaced by his new, more cheery monotone. "You're expected to take the podium in six minutes."

"Thanks Kakashi-Sensei," said Naruto, respecting his old mentor. "I'll be there on time."

"You look great sir," said the aging Hatake, "just like your father."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks," he said. "I'm hoping to make him proud today."

"Wherever he is," said Kakashi, "He'd already be proud of you sir. He and Jiraiya both would think you turned into a great man."

"We'll see," said Naruto, grinning and looking at Tayuya. "There's some old saying about every great man having a better woman beside him."

Tayuya smiled, resting one hand on her abdomen, which had begun to swell only enough to be noticeable. "Go get 'em," said the Kunoichi.

"You're not going to watch?" asked Naruto.

"I'll be right behind you," Tayuya cooed. "You and Kakashi should wow everyone by being a little early."

Naruto nodded. "Ok, I love you." He leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on her lips, then stepped towards the door Kakashi held open.

"I love you too," said Tayuya, beaming and looking Naruto over again. Naruto nodded and Kakashi bowed to her as the two Ninja left the room, entering the long, white, hall beyond.

"Prompts?" asked Kakashi as he and Naruto set off down the hall. From his vest he produced a small stack of white cards and handed them to Naruto. "I had Sakura write them up for you yesterday when you mentioned you hadn't had time to make any yourself. They're straight out of your meeting with the other appointees yesterday."

"Thanks," said Naruto, taking the notes from his old Sensei and sifting through them quickly as the two Ninja made their way up a winding flight of stairs. They came to a landing built next to an especially large window, and Naruto paused just long enough to glance outside. The window, which overlooked Konoha's northern districts, afforded him a plain view of the buildings and streets below, streets that he could see had long since filled up with people waiting to hear him speak. "Kakashi-Sensei, thanks for everything you've done… Your training saw me through a lot."

"I tried to help out along the way whenever I could," said Kakashi, lightheartedly dismissing any praise with a wave of his hand. "Now's not the time to be praising e anyway," he continued as Naruto resumed their trek up the stairs to the top floor of the palace. "You've got a lot of people waiting for you to give them the good news."

"I guess," said Naruto as he and Kakashi entered another long hallway, this one ending in a massive double glass door which lead out onto a small and sunbathed stone balcony. Kakashi stopped walking and Naruto paused for a moment. "You're not going to join me?"

Kakashi shook his head once. "I was head of Tsunade's information department for a while, remember? It might not go over too well if I'm seen as standing right beside you when you deliver your first address to the Empire. This one's all about you."

"Right," said Naruto with an uneasy grin.

"I'll be in the audience though."

"See you on the other side," Naruto said quietly as he began walking towards the lighted door and Kakashi turned around and made for the stairs again.

Naruto's pulse began to thrum in his chest and head as he neared the door. He felt as though some aggravated bird was caged where his heart should be, and as he stepped out into the open air, the sudden burst of sunlight nearly blinded him. In the world of white shapes in which Naruto suddenly found himself, one sound roared suddenly above all others: applause.

Clapping, shouting and cheering exploded from beneath him as Naruto's vision adjusted to the bright noonday light. He walked squinting to the edge of the balcony, five feet from the door, and stood behind the waist high podium waiting for him, setting the cards down to survey. As the world cleared and definite shapes congealed in his vision, Naruto looked down from the balcony at the square of the palace, ringed on three sides by the palace itself, bordered on one by the road, and absolutely filled with people screaming his name and clapping their hands above their heads.

The crowd spilled out of the square and into the streets, making Naruto very glad that he'd ordered the wall around the palace torn down in a gesture of openness with the people. The square was huge, capable of holding a crowd which would fill several of Konoha's residential complexes, but Naruto staggered at how tightly everyone was packed in to hear him speak. Many if not all were breast to back and shoulder to shoulder with the people around them.

"Here goes," Naruto whispered to himself, taking in a deep breath and looking out over the thousands of faces.

"Thank you!" Naruto said loudly, amazed not only by how his words echoed off the walls of the palace for all to hear, but by exactly how stridently he spoke. "Thank you all for this welcome!"

The crowd roared applause all the louder at him, prompting Naruto to wait for a full five minutes as he simply repeated 'thank you' and smiled, waving at the crowd. _Now I know why Kakashi and Tayuya weren't worried about being exactly on time to hear me speak,_ thought Naruto, only a little annoyed. _If this crowd had its way I'd never get to say a damn word._

"Thank you all very much," said Naruto, loud enough for all to hear once the applause and cheering began to die down. "Now I know things have been a little strained in the four weeks since the change in government," continued the Hokage, eliciting another set of tremendous cheers throughout his massive audience. "And I wanted to first and foremost thank all of you for dealing with the inconveniences in good humor and taking the extra steps to be helpful as we try to iron things out and get this world back on track."

Tayuya, sitting quietly and wearing a veil as to avoid being identified as Naruto's wife and subsequently deluged by a flurry of people wanting to shake her hand and secure an autograph, smiled to herself as Naruto launched himself into his speech to the Empire as naturally as though he'd been a public speaker his entire life. _I told you they'd love you,_ thought the Kunoichi, trying not to laugh at how Naruto had to take regular pauses in his oration to accommodate the applause as he praised the people of Konoha and the Empire for dealing supporting him so fully in his frenzied efforts to correct the 'mistakes made by the previous ruler.'

"Now we've all seen how a completely centralized world power works," said Naruto, coming to the conclusion of his discourse's introduction of praise and thanks. "When one man or a few powerful people try to run the world, what we're left with is a despotic oligarchy and countries full of extremely unhappy people. This is why, as of today I will begin the process of breaking up the Empire into smaller and completely sovereign nation-states which can be governed by locally elected officials."

Again the crowd exploded and Naruto had to wait for them to quiet down. "This will not be an overnight change," Naruto continued. "This is why for the next two months officials that I and my cabinet of advisors, advisors picked from the best and brightest men representing every corner of the Empire, will oversee the newly formed nations as Kages in their own right. By the end of those two months I swear to each and every one of you, national elections will be in place and those appointed officials will relinquish all of their authority. Every man and woman among you," he gestured widely to the audience, sweeping his arm out over them, "is a witness to that promise."

Naruto went on to detail exactly how he planned to divide up the Empire, making very sure to point out that as soon as each nation was established and operating under its own political power, it would be sovereign and free to set its own policies and maintain itself however the popularly chosen leaders saw fit. "My goal today is to be absolutely transparent to all of you here," said Naruto. "These politics of smoke, mirrors, scams, and coercion must become a thing of the past if this world it to survive, recover, and ultimately thrive. I am doing everything I can to take us off the path to fascism and self-destruction we were set on after the Unification War, and I am have absolute confidence in each of you.

"Allow me one last parting thought," said Naruto, his dissertation ostensibly coming to a close. He paused and waited for a moment, collecting himself as a hush fell over the entire crowd for the first time in the speech. Everyone waited. "Trust in yourselves, and in the people of your community," said the Hokage, lines spreading out from the corners of Naruto's eyes. "Freedom and liberty were stolen from us once, snatched away in the panic brought by the fires of a war and terrifying world changes. We were all frightened and coerced into giving up that precious freedom, not knowing just how dear it was..." His words grew strained but he spoke on, fervently. "We had no one but ourselves to blame for its loss… not a single despot or an agency of fear mongering secret police, ourselves.

"Heroes, great men who gave their lives without question, fought to reclaim that liberty for us. Now, knowing how dearly we miss it when our freedom is stolen, it falls to us to safeguard it. You," he gestured towards the people again, "All of you are the guardians of freedom and liberty. Trust no one promising security in exchange for your freedom. Remember that a government, whatever form of government you may choose, is there to work for you and to enable _you_ to safeguard your liberties. Never, ever allow anyone, especially your government to dictate to you what you _must _do or what you _must_ think, or everything we have accomplished here today will have been for absolutely nothing."

Naruto paused as ripples and murmurs began to move throughout the crowd. No large groups of people cheered now. Many looked up at Naruto in surprise, having expected promises of the Hokage's protection and his personal guarantee that they would from this day on be safe. But now he told them they might, no, they _must_ look after their own freedom?

Looking down into the crowd and seeing many confused expressions Naruto's spirit fell. _They don't want to hear this,_ Naruto thought. _They want someone to look after them and protect them_-

"HE'S RIGHT!" shouted a woman in the crowd, her voice echoing off the walls of the palace for all to hear. "The Hokage is right!" she yelled. "We all fell for the Empress's bullshit schemes and propaganda. But now WE are in charge! I'll never give up my liberty in the face of fear! I'll die first!"

"Here here!!" shouted a man near the woman.

"Free Forever!" screamed another as cheers began to resonate and echo deafeningly in the crowd, spreading outward in circles from a few individuals in the multitude.

"Naruto-Sama is the champion of freedom!" bellowed a man in one of the balconies on the palace wall. "But WE are its protectors. Freedom forever!"

"**Freedom Forever!**" the cheer went up as tens of thousands yelled it over and over, fists shaking at the sky, while others proclaimed Naruto the champion of freedom and the people its protectors.

_Well,_ Naruto mumbled in his mind, raising one eyebrow. He searched the crowd and his quick eyes locked on the woman who had first shouted Naruto's intended message. _As long as there are people like her in the world, we might be able to make this work…_ The Hokage smiled a little to himself as the crowd continued to cheer and shout affirmations of their freedom from tyranny. _Ultimately though, it really __**is**__ up to them._


End file.
